Kenkey is one of the most famous Ghanaian meals there is. It is tasty and easy to make, also it requires easy ingredients and the overall ingredients costs very little. Also known as African/ Ghanaian dumplings, kenkey is famous in Ghana, but eaten in other countries like eastern Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, western Benin, Guyana and Jamaica.
What you need for the Kenkey
- 5 cups cornmeal
- Dried corn husk (cleaned)
- 5 cups warm water
- 1 ½ tbs cornstarch
- Salt (if desired)
What you need for the Fresh Shito Sauce
- Green Scotch bonnet- 3 pieces
- Tomato – 2 big ones
- Chilli pepper – 2 pieces
- Magi – to taste
- Onion 1
How to prepare the Kenkey
- Mix cornstarch and cornmeal in a bowl
- Pour in warm water and mix into a fine dough
- Cover the lid of the bowl with a cloth and set aside in a warm environment for 2-3 days, depending on room temperature.
- Bring out the dough and scrape out any mould that could have formed, and divide dough in two equal parts.
- Boil 3 cups of water, add one half of the dough, add a dash of salt and allow to mix in and cook for 10-15 minutes
- Turn off the heat and add the remaining dough and mix properly.
- Put about 3 cooking spoons of Kenkey in the corn husk, wrap it up and tie it into a ball.
- In a pressure cooker, add the kenke, and add enough water to cover it up.
- Close pressure cooker and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
- Following the safety precautions on the pressure cooker, turn off the heat, bring out the Kenkey and allow to cool down.
How to prepare the Shito
- In a blender, pour in the scotch bonnet, tomato, chilli powder, magi and onion.
- Add a spoon full of water and blend roughly
- Serve the Kenkey and Shito with fried fish and a cold drink.
