Ghanaian Cuisine: West African Peanut Stew & Gari Foto

Photo: Barbara Baeta and guest enjoying Ghanaian cuisine at Jimmy Moxon's Black Pot Restaurant,
circa late 1960s.  Courtesy of African Cooking by Laurens van der Post (1970)

Barbara Baeta is known as one of Ghana's leading culinary experts. In 1968, Baeta started her catering business in Accra, Ghana in West Africa. Pictured above is Barbara, at far left, with guests about to enjoy a Baeta buffet at the famous Jimmy Moxon's Black Pot Restaurant in Ghana in the late 1960s. To receive an invitation to one of her dinners was a coveted prize.

The main dish pictured above is West African peanut stew, also called African groundnut stew or soup, with a simple recipe illustrated below.

 

The peanut stew is supplemented with rice. Vegetables are tiny eggplants and boiled okra.  Fruits included oranges, papaya and pineapple. The dessert includes a watermelon mokette and pineapple delight (rear, right).

The large serving dish on the left contains gari foto, a West African recipe that includes a blend of cassava meal, eggs, tomatoes and onions. This West African dish of scrambled eggs and manioc meal with tomatoes and onions, makes an excellent breakfast or brunch. It is frequently served with red beans on a platter.

Photo: Gari foto served with red beans.

A recipe for a vegetarian (without eggs) gari foto: 

• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 175 g (6 oz) carrots, chopped
• 175 g (6 oz) mushrooms, chopped
• 175 g (6 oz) green peppers, chopped
• 300 ml (1/2 pt) vegetable stock or water
• Hot pepper, to taste
• 100 g (4 oz) gari (Gari is a coarse-grained roasted, grated fermented flour, made from cassava and used as a staple food in a similar way to ground rice)

Cook the onion and tomatoes in the margarine or palm oil, stirring until pulpy, in a non-stick saucepan. Add carrots and fry for a few minutes. Stir in the palm oil, then add the mushrooms, green peppers, stoc, and hot pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix the gari into the sauce in handfuls, stirring constantly until all the liquid is absorbed. Serve hot with a vegetable stew or fish stew.