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<\/a>\nWaakye – you may see variant spellings but the pronunciation is wah-chay (rhymes with watch-way) and it\u2019s Ghana\u2019s culinary claim to fame. Similar to West Indian rice and peas, it\u2019s made with rice and black eyed peas or cowpeas; the characteristic reddish-purplish-brown color can come from dried red sorghum leaves, millet leaves, or even baking soda. It was paired with croaker plus spaghetti and gari (ground cassava). Shito, the sauce made from hot peppers, tomato, garlic, and fish, is on the side.<\/p>\n
Bronx food needs more love, so we headed off to this Ghanaian restaurant for some waakye and more! Continue reading <\/a>
\nPinch off a bit of starchy eba (which is made from gari) with your fingers and gather up some stew \u2013 here either the accompanying spinach or egusi (ground melon seeds) \u2013 the best way to enjoy West African cuisine!<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nPart of our first course: Grilled Red Snapper and Spicy Kebab.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nPeanut Butter Soup (you might see it as Groundnut Soup\/Stew). This bowl was home to both meat and fish but I didn\u2019t catch the types. The starch that accompanied it was emotuo, a pressed ground rice ball (some would call it a dumpling) that was perfect with the soup; I\u2019ve seen emotuo only in connection with Ghanaian cuisine.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nOkra Stew with Banku. Banku is another West African staple starch. It\u2019s most closely associated with Ghana and is distinguished by the fact that it\u2019s one of the fermented varieties, in this case a blend of cassava and corn. It works like all West African doughy starches: pinch off a bit, dip it into the stew or soup and enjoy \u2013 really hands-on cuisine! Okra stew can vary from somewhat mucilaginous to extremely mucilaginous, but either way it\u2019s relentless in that regard. It may be an acquired taste, or more accurately, an acquired texture, but give it a chance before you pass judgment; you might be surprised!
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\nNote that there\u2019s another location of Mama G African Kitchen at 1322A Gun Hill Road, also in the Bronx.
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