Banku & Kenkey

Banku and Kenkey are two more Fufu-like staples from Western Africa, served with a soup or stew or sauce. They are particularly popular in Ghana. Both are usually made from ground corn (maize), as are Sadza and Ugali, though Banku can also be made from a mixture of maize and grated Cassava tuber. Unlike Ugali, making Banku or Kenkey involves letting the maize (or maize and cassava tuber) ferment before cooking, as is done with cassava tubers when they are made into Baton de Manioc. Banku is cooked in a pot; Kenkey is partially cooked, then wrapped in banana leaves, maize or corn husks, or foil, and steamed.

What you need

• six to eight cups of corn (maize) flour or cornmeal (ground corn or ground maize); (White cornmeal is preferred, it should be finely ground, like flour. Latin American style corn flour, as is used in tortillas, tamales, pupusas, etc. is the right kind); for Banku only: a similar amount of equal parts corn flour and grated cassava tuber may be substituted
• for Kenkey only: banana leaves, or maize or corn husks, or aluminum foil to wrap dough in (the leaves or husks may be available at African, Asian, or Latino groceries)

What you do

• Prepare the fermented cornmeal dough: Traditional Method:
  In a large container combine the corn flour (or corn flour and grated cassava) with just enough warm water to dampen all of it. Mix well. Cover the container with a clean cloth. Set it in a warm place, such as a warmed oven or on top of the refrigerator, for two to three days. Fermentation may take longer than two days, especially in cool climates. (Note: a warmed oven is an oven that has been heated for a few minutes then turned off. The flour should ferment, not cook.) When it is properly fermented, it should have a slightly sour, but not unpleasant, aroma -- like rising bread dough. Overly fermented corn flour will not taste right. Alternate method:
  Prepare the corn flour as described above, and let it ferment for about six hours. Then mix one tablespoon of vinegar into the wet corn flour. Once the fermented dough is ready, prepare Banku or Kenkey according to the following methods.
• To prepare Banku:
  • Knead the fermented dough with your hands until it is thoroughly mixed and slightly stiffened.
  • In a large pot, bring one cup of water to a boil. Slowly add the fermented dough. Cook for twenty minutes or more, stirring constantly and vigorously. The banku should become thick and stiff. Add water as necessary, if it becomes too dry. Form the banku into serving-sized balls (about the size of a tennis ball). May be served hot or cool (room-temperature).


• To prepare Kenkey:
  • Knead the fermented dough with your hands until it is thoroughly mixed and slightly stiffened. Divide the dough into two equal parts.
  • In a large pot, bring one cup of water to a boil. Slowly add one part of the fermented dough. Cook for about ten minutes, stirring constantly and vigorously. Remove from heat. This half of the dough is called the "aflata".
  • Combine the aflata with the remaining uncooked dough. Mix well.
  • Divide the aflata-dough mixture into serving-sized pieces. Wrap the pieces tightly in banana leaf, maize or corn husks, or foil. Banana leaves are more flexible if they have been briefly warmed in a hot oven or a pot of boiling water. The wrapped dough should look like burritos or tamales. Cooking string can be used to tie the wrapping closed.
  • Place the wrapped dough packets on a wire rack above water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and steam for one to three hours, depending on their size and thickness. Serve room-temperature.
• Serve banku or kenkey with Palaver 'Sauce', or any fish, fowl, or meat dish from Western Africa.

Note: ready-to-use fermented cornmeal dough made especially for banku and kenkey may be available at African import grocery stores and should be prepared according to package instructions.

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Squash with Peanuts

This recipe comes from Chad; Peanuts are a common ingredient in Chadian cuisine.

What you need

• oil
• two to three pounds summer squash (cut into cubes) or zucchini (sliced)
• three cups shelled roasted peanuts; crushed or coarsely chopped
• salt to taste
• one teaspoon brown sugar or white sugar (optional)

What you do

• Heat a spoonful of oil in a large skillet. Cook squash until it begins to become tender, stirring often; about five to ten minutes. (Or cook squash in one cup of boiling water. Drain excess water before adding peanuts.) Squash can be mashed if desired.
• Add peanuts, salt, and sugar. Reduce heat. Simmer until squash is tender and flavors have mingled, about five minutes. Serve hot.

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Louisiana Crawfish Boil Recipe

Ingredients Needed:

1 (35 to 40 pound) sack live crawfish*
1 (26-ounce) box salt for purging
Water
2 (1 pound) boxes/sacks crawfish or crab or shrimp boil seasoning (see column on left)
6 to 8 lemons, sliced in half
Small onions, peeled
Smoked sausage, cut up into large pieces
Whole mushrooms
Small red or new potatoes, unpeeled
15 to 20 ears of fresh corn on the cob, shucked and broken in halves
6 heads of garlic, split in half exposing pods
Whole mushrooms

* Use over-night delivery for live crawfish. You should order the crawfish to arrive the day before or the day of your crawfish boil.


Equipment Needed:
crawfish boiling potsAs you can see from the photo of the boiling pots on the right, John boiled up many sacks of live crawfish for this party.

One large boiling pot (60 to 80 gallon) with basket insert, and lid (you can use your deep-fat turkey fryer - will cook about 10-15 lbs of crawfish per batch)

Outdoor high-pressure propane cooker

Large tub or two ice chests (depending on the amount of live crawfish)

A large paddle for stirring the crawfish.

A large picnic table with plenty of newspapers to cover it, several rolls of paper towels, and a large garbage can.


Bag of fresh crawfish

How many pounds of live crawfish to order:

Plan on ordering about 2 to 3 pounds of crawfish per person or 4 to 5 pounds for a heavier crawfish eater. Some people are extra-heavy eaters. For them you will need 5 to 7 pounds.


Keeping Live Crawfish Techniques: Crawfish season is from late February to mid-May. You must keep the live Crawfish fresh and healthy. Keep them in a cool place and out of the heat. Your garage is the perfect spot until you're ready to boil.



When you receive your sacks of crawfish, simply take your sack of crawfish, hose them down, and place them back in a cooler (or the box the sacks arrived in) with a bag of ice. Do not take the crawfish out of the sack, leave them in the sack and hose the entire sack with fresh water.


If you use ice, be sure to drain them frequently. DO NOT let them sit in cold water for a long time or they will die! Keep live crawfish at 36 to 46 degrees F. for approximately 3 days with wet burlap sacks, towels, etc. on top. Let crawfish return to room temperature before using. Do not leave the crawfish outside if the temperature is freezing level or below!


When traveling with crawfish, a few of them will die naturally due to stress of being moved, etc.


Purging Crawfish:



The cardinal rule is to purge and thoroughly wash the crawfish before boiling them. Pour the sack of live crawfish in a plastic children's pool, large tub, or a large ice chest. Pour one (1) 26-ounce box salt over the top of the crawfish. Add water to just cover the crawfish. Gently stir with a large paddle to mix the salt and the water. Stir for 3 minutes, then rinse crawfish. NOTE: some people skip adding salt.



e careful not to let them purge too long. You do not want them to be dead when you add them to the boil. Throw away all crawfish that have already died (the dead crawfish should float to the top). You do not, I repeat, DO NOT want to add dead crawfish to the pot.


After purging and cleaning, don’t leave the crawfish covered with water, as they need air to stay alive. Keep the crawfish in a cool or shaded area until you’re ready to start cooking.


Boiling Crawfish: If you have not already done so, drink a cold beer.



In a large (60- to 80-gallon) pot over high heat, add enough water to fill a little more than halfway.


Squeeze out the juice out of the lemon halves into the water and throw the lemon halves into the water.


Add crawfish or crab boil seasoning (see left column).


Large pot of fresh boiled crawfishCover pot, turn on the burner full blast, and bring water to a boil; boil 2 to 3 minutes to allow the spices to mix well. NOTE: It needs to be hot enough to bring the pot to a rolling boil in about 15 minutes.

Using a large wire basket that fits into the pot, add onions, sausage, mushrooms, and potatoes. Maintain a boil and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add crawfish to the wire basket, stirring them a bit. Once the water starts a rolling boil again, boil 5 minutes. Regulate the burner so the rolling boil is maintained, but where the pot does not boil over.

Turn the burner off, keep the pot covered, and let the crawfish soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove wire basket from pot.

Remove the strainer from the water, and rest it on the top of the pot using two boards laid on the top of the pot as a rack. Let the crawfish drain.


Serving Boiled Crawfish: To serve the traditional way, cover a table (preferably outdoors) with thick layers of newspaper.

Spill the contents of the basket (onions, potatoes, sausage, mushrooms, and crawfish) along the length of the newspaper-covered table. They are best served steaming hot.

Makes 10 servings.