How to cook African food

Here is the list of ingredients:

1 cup ground red chili pepper (cayenne)
3 cups vegetable oil*
2 cups ground dried shrimp**
2 cups ground smoked herring***
1 1/2 cups onion puree
2 medium-size tomatoes, pureed
1 cup tomato paste
salt to taste
1-2 cubes of Jumbo or Maggi seasoning, preferably shrimp flavor (this is optional!)
...and the instructions:

Be sure to use a pan with a heavy bottom, so the sauce won't burn.

Add oil to the pan and heat it. Add onion and tomato ingredients and fry the mixture for about 10 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add the dry ingredients into the pan, stir well, and continue cooking it for an additional 30 minutes. Add salt to taste.

The finished sauce should be a rich dark reddish-brown color and have a thick texture, not at all runny. Some of the oil may separate out and that is fine. When cooled, put the sauce into a clean glass jar and cover. Make sure about half an inch of oil stays on the top, covering the paste. This sauce keeps indefinitely and does not need refrigeration.

Here is a fabulous soup recipe that uses crayfish for additional flavor and taste.

Egusi (melon seed) Soup (serves five to six)

Ingredients
3 pounds goat meat
1 cup dried crayfish
2 cups melon seed, ground
1 teaspoon dried red pepper, ground or crushed
2 tablespoons salt
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons red palm oil
Bitterleaf, chopped (optionally, spinach or kale)
7 cups water

Directions
Cut meat in small pieces and place in skillet combine with water, onion, salt and boil for 15 to 20 minutes Add ground melon seed and remaining ingredients, stirring as added cook for 10 more minutes, and serve.

Reference: http://recipes.wikia.com

Fufu (Foo-foo, Foufou, Foutou, fu fu) is to Western and Central Africa cooking what mashed potatoes are to traditional European-American cooking. There are Fufu-like staples all over Sub-Saharan Africa: i.e., Nigeria, Tuwo, Eastern Africa's Ugali and Southern Africa's Sadza (which are usually made from ground corn (maize), though West Africans use maize to make Banku and Kenkey, and sometimes use maize to make Fufu). Fufu is a starchy accompaniment for stews or other dishes with sauce.

In Western Africa, Fufu is usually made from yams, sometimes combined with plantains. In Central Africa, Fufu is often made from cassava tubers, like Baton de Manioc. Other fufu-like foods, Liberia's dumboy for example, are made from cassava flour. Fufu can also be made from semolina, rice, or even instant potato flakes or Bisquick. All over Africa, making fufu involves boiling, pounding, and vigorous stirring until the fufu is thick and smooth

Image credit: capitol-bistro.com
Reference: congocookbook.com

My, my, my. I never imagined my research would uncover a a Fufu food processor! Here is some information from the website for FufuMagic. FuFuMagic reduces the preparation of yam fufu, rice fufu, garri, etc. to just adding water to a bowl, flour to a dispenser and then pushing two buttons. You may even program FufuMagic to cook on a delayed basis to fit your schedule.

The procesor is also programmed to cook rice like any rice cooker and has a manual mode that allows you to cook just about anything, including stews, soups, gumbo, and much more. delivers convenience and consistency to your kitchen.

This is a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting to find this ready to eat Jollof rice.

New from Cuisine Africana, a tasty rice cuisine from the Wollof tribe of Senegambia, enjoyed all over Africa and the Carribean. Serves up to 2 persons.

Jollof Rice is a food most common in West Africa. Although many dispute its origins, most seem to believe that Senegal ought to take credit for its creation. To the Western world, however, it could be compared to 'Spanish Rice' where white rice is boiled and added to flavorful stock to make a delicious meal.

Ingrediants:
1 & 3/4 cup basmati rice
4 tbsp olive oil
3 heaped tbsp tomato paste
1 red onion chopped
2 red onions
2 tomatoes
2 fat cloves of garlic
3 piece of ginger
4 scotch bonnet chillies - reduce if you dont like it spicy
2 cubes of Maggie chicken cubes
2 carrots sliced diagonally
6 handful of french beans cut diagonally
7-8 okra's sliced diagonally
Salt to taste

Directions:
In a food processor, grind together the ginger, garlic, chillies, tomatoes and 2 onions. Keep aside for later.
In a non stick frying pan heat the 4 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the chopped onion till soft then add the tomato paste and fry for further 3-4 minutes
Add the blended tomato and onion mix and fry well
Crumble in the 2 Maggie cubes and mix well. Cover and let it cook through, till the oil floats on the top
Add the rice and 2 cups of water, stirring it to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. In another frying pan, drizzle a few drops of olive oil and stir fry the beans, carrots and okra with a sprinkle of salt just till they are half done. Now add these to the rice, and by this time the rice will need some more water
Add 2 more cups of water, and cook till the water is almost evaporated.
Now cover and simmer of slow gas till the rice is cooked through

Kelewele (Kele-wele) are flavorful fried plantain cubes. Simple to make, kelewele are plantain cubes, sprinkled with spices, and fried in hot oil. Kelewele are often sold by African street vendors. Originally from Ghana, kelewele have been popularized in America by several Kwanzaa books and websites.

Ingrediants

1. four to six ripe plantain peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
2. one-half teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper
3. two tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger root
4. one teaspoon salt
5. two tablespoons water or lemon juice
6. palm oil or vegetable oil for frying

Directions
Grind together grated ginger root, pepper, and salt, add water or lemon juice and mix.
Combine the plantain cubes and spice mixture; marinate for twenty minutes or longer
Heat oil in frying pan, over medium to high heat
Fry plantains until golden brown on both sides
Drain and serve

Image credit: Festival Food

A koeksister is a piece of dough, usually in the shape of a plait, that is deep fried in oil and then dipped in a cold syrup mixture. If you keep your oil hot and the syrup very cold you get the perfect koeksister - crisp and crunchy on the outside and soft, moist and syrupy on the inside. Koeksisters are very rich (i.e. unhealthy) and is usually served as a special treat or kept for festive occasions. Making koeksisters is time-consuming and labour-intensive (another reason why it is not often made in modern day homes), so plan ahead to set a night and day aside for making this delicious treat. The syrup is made the night before to chill in the refrigerator in two containers. While making the koeksisters one of the containers is kept chilled in the refrigerator, to replace the other container of syrup when it heats up after a few batches of the fried dough have been dipped into the first container of syrup. If the syrup isn't cold the dough won't soak up the syrup and you will end up with a dry koeksister.

Source: Wikibooks.org