Ghana - Kelewele and Waakye

May and June featured a lot of rice dishes as you may be noticing, but they were all so varied and delicious that I didn't really mind at all. So at the end of May, for my dinner from Ghana, I made Kelewele (spicy fried plantains) and Waakye, a West African bean dish.

This particular meal was one I was a little worried about before I made it, and not because of difficulty. I'm personally not a fan of bananas, and I'd never tried plantains, but they are obviously similar. However, with this project I am determined to try new things, and so I decided to suck it up and try them, and I'm glad I did. Plantains have enough of a different taste and texture from bananas that I didn't mind them that much, and the cayenne pepper and ginger they were coated in gave a really nice kick which went nicely with the mild plantain flavour.

As for the Waakye, this dish was fairly straightforward, but quite delicious. Just like the plantains, the spices were just enough of a nice flavour and not overpowering, and it made for a very hearty, filling dish.

All told, this week was less of a challenge in terms of my cooking skills, and more a case of trying something I might not usually attempt. I'm glad I did try something new and outside of my comfort zone, and while both dishes were tasty, I don't think plantains are something I would like to have again.

FIRSTS THIS WEEK:

• Ate plantains
• Made fried fruit
• Mixed fruit with spices

RECIPES I USED:

• Kelewele: https://www.demandafrica.com/food/recipes/kelewele-ghana-spicy-fried-plantains/
• Waakye: https://www.africanbites.com/african-rice-and-beanswaakye/