It’s yet another session in the kitchen with us! Grab your aprons and stretch out those muscles folks because “solanum melongena” stew is on our menu today.
Relax! No, it’s not an exotic meal found only on the Hors d’oeuvres of 5-star hotel restaurant menus.. on the contrary, it’s one of the most popular meals in Ghana. Don’t think too far..We are talking about Garden egg stew. Yeah…We got you there!
This spongy texture, bitter tasting vegetable sometimes argued to be a fruit is one of the stable foods in Ghana. It usually comes in different colour shades, with the cream coloured one most popular in Ghana.
It’s availability all year round makes it quite affordable and a popular feature in the majority of the meal recipes among all ethnic groups in the country. Be it in soups, stews and what have you, aubergine or eggplant as it is otherwise called makes a lasting impression.
Some use it as a thickening agent in their soups and others cannot imagine having a meal without at least two garden egg pieces appearing on the platter. If you are the health and fitness junkie wondering how beneficial this recipe would be to you, well,
If you are the health and fitness junkie wondering how beneficial this recipe would be to you, well, garden egg is a rich source of dietary fibre, potassium, manganese, copper and thiamin (vitamin b1) amongst many others. It is also known to help lower blood sugar levels, aid in digestion, protect from cardiovascular diseases, need we say more? So, let’s get to it, shall we?
These are the things you’ll need
Garden eggs, obviously (as many as would please you)
Palm oil/ Vegetable oil
Tomatoes
Pepper
Bulb onions
“Kako”/ “Koobi”/ “momoni”
Fish (pre-fried fresh fish / smoked salmon)
Seasoning cubes (onga, maggi, etc)
Salt to taste
Powdered fish and shrimp mix
How to cook it
Start off by making sure all our ingredients are clean by washing them in running clean water. Cut up your garden eggs and boil them for about 7 mins.
While the garden eggs boil, we slice our bulb onions up in a sauce pan. We recommend Palm oil here, although vegetable oil can equally be used, the choice is yours.
Fry your sliced onions in the hot oil for a few minutes and put in your favourite member of the “stinking fish” family (if you choose “kako” like we did here, it is important to soak them for some time in hot or lukewarm water, this takes away some of the grit pieces that might end up in the stew.
You can also ‘scrub’ them up a bit after the soaking, just to make sure ) Fry the kako in the oil for a bit until you can smell it dominating the kitchen..lol.
Grind your tomatoes and pepper in an earthenware masher (a.k.a “aputoryiwa”) until in a favourable consistency. Some prefer to blend here, but there’s something that is lost in the blender, we just can’t put our finger on it, call us “local authorities” but it’s just not the same.
Add your ground pepper and tomatoes to the frying onions and kako and sprinkle your cube seasoning in there. Allow to simmer.
Meanwhile, your boiling garden eggs should be calling for your attention by now.
Strain out the liquid and mash up the garden eggs in the earthenware masher. Some like to go real smooth here, others prefer to see the chunks of garden egg in their stew.
Visit the simmering stew and add your powdered fish and shrimps to taste. Stir it up a bit and wait for about two minutes.
You can add your mashed garden eggs to the stew. Make sure it is evenly distributed across the stew and add salt to taste.
Allow to simmer for a bit and throw in (not literally) your fish pieces. Some prefer already fried fresh fish, some go along the smoked route; again a matter of preference.
Allow the stew to simmer for a while and taste to be sure everything is in the right ratio and proportion.
The age old trick to know if your stew is ready (as taught by our Grandmas), is when you see the oil settle on top of the stew.
We urge you to use your own discretion to determine though if the trick just isn’t your thing.
Voila! It is ready to serve with your boiled plantain or yam. Don’t forget to add those creamy sliced avocado pieces or hard boiled eggs for that added healthy eating benefit.
Bon appetit!
