Growing up in Ghana, my favourite day of the week was Sunday, because my mother would always make condensed toffees, nkatie cake and sometimes plantain chips after church service.
My day was always fulfilled with these sweet savouring tastes. Follow me in this write up, as I introduce you to the some of the best local snacks to try with family and friends.
As one would say, ‘your childhood wasn’t complete if you never had some nkate cake once in a while’.
Groundnut cake is one of the most universally loved treats in Ghana, and it’s also delightfully easy to prepare.
What You’ll Need:
Peeled and slightly crushed groundnuts
Sugar
Greased tray or baking sheet
How to Make it:
Pour sugar into saucepan and heat evenly till it turns brown and sticky. Pour groundnuts into mixture and stir well. Pour mixture onto greased tray and spread out evenly. Wait for it to cool, then cut up into any size and shape you desire.
You now have groundnut cake to eat as you desire.
2. Coconut cake (Kube cake)
Kube cake is very similar to nkate cake in the Ghanaian food culture. It’s a tasty option for those who want some variety or perhaps aren’t too fond of groundnuts.
What You’ll Need:
Shredded coconut
Sugar
How to Make It:
Heat sugar in saucepan till you get brown caramel. Add shredded coconut to it and mix till all the coconut is evenly coated.
Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture and shape into balls. It may be hot, so use a spoon instead of your hand. Once you form the balls, wait for it to cool and your coconut cake is ready.
3. Plantain Chips
Plantain chips which is loved by many, comes in two flavours, the ripe ones and the unripe ones, are easy to prepare that anybody can make plantain chips. The next time you have friends or family over, be sure to prepare a bowl full of plantain chips to spice up the occasion.
What You’ll Need:
Plantain (as ripe as you want it)
Salt
Cooking oil
How to Make It:
Wash plantain, peel and cut into thin slices. You can slice it into little round slices or long, thin ones as you prefer. Sprinkle a little salt on the slices.
Heat oil and place slices into it individually so they don’t stick together. Fry for about 3 minutes, remove and allow to cool.
The hardest part is trying hard not to eat all of it before your friends arrive.
This sweet toffee goes great as a dessert or a guilty pleasure. It was and still is my guilty pleasure.
It is also one of the easiest treats to prepare.
What You’ll Need:
A tin of condensed milk
Butter
How to Make It:
Pour condensed milk in saucepan and add butter. Heat mixture continuously while stirring all the time till the mixture turns brown. As it thickens, you may need to stir harder to ensure the base doesn’t burn.
Transfer mixture to greased work surface and allow to cool. Cut into whatever shape you want or roll into conical shape. Your condensed milk toffee is ready.
The last on this list, but definitely not the least is the pride of the Voltarians.
Made from coconut, cassava starch, sugar, salt and water, this prized snack from the Volta Region is a rich tasty snack, called, Ayigbe biscuits.
SOURCE: March 31, 2017-Quick Kitchen Hacks
