Are you thinking of preparing banky with tilapia but don’t know how to go about it? Read more here on How to prepare banku with tilapia.
Banku is a local Ghanaian dish prepared by mixing a proportionate amount of fermented corn dough and cassava dough. These dough types are mixed together in hot water in a consistency that favours the maker. That sounds like a whole lot of starch and carbs if you ask us but banku has more to offer.
The corn dough dishes out some fibre, minerals and magnesium together with complex carbs. The cassava dough is rich in starch which is good for the body, in the right proportions of course.
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Banku can be served with soups and stews alike. Today we delve into the most popular way of serving this delicacy; with grilled Tilapia, accompanied by some grounded hot pepper.
Banku is one of the common local meals in Ghana obtain from the mixture of fermented corn and cassava dough. Both doughs are mixed together in water until they melt into a fine soft mixture.
These two ingredients have their own nutritional value and also used in different forms as food.
Banku can be eaten with different types of soup and stew based on your preference. But in this article, our focus will grilled tilapia with grounded pepper sauce.
Ingredients
- Corn dough
- Cassava dough
Fresh sizable Tilapia - Salt to taste
- Fresh tomatoes and pepper
- Onions
- Natural spices for seasoning your Tilapia depending on your preference (ginger, garlic, rosemary, cloves and others).
- Green pepper for garnishing
How to prepare banku with tilapia
1. Begin with the tilapia by washing, cleaning and descaling it. Season it with your preference form of natural spices and leave for few minutes to have a well-seasoned tilapia.
2. Set your fire and put on a grill or in an oven.
3. Check from time to time and glaze with oil. Also, turn to other sides when needed to avoid burning or sticking on the grill.
4. Start with the banku with a clean by mixing and mashing the corn and cassava together in a pot of water. Make sure to single out pieces of fibre and remove all lumps until it forms paste-like mixture. Add a pinch of salt.
5. Put your paste-like mixture on fire and stir with your wooden stirrer locally known as banku ‘ta’. Stir gently for few minutes for it to gain its thickness.
6. During the process of stirring, the paste becomes more thicker and would need much strength to driver it to be harder. As the paste gets thicker, reduce the heat and support the pot with your hand using a napkin and drive for about 6 minutes. You can also support the ears of the pot with a metal hold and place your two legs on both sides then drive with both hands.
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7. Make holes in the heap of banku with the wooden spatula, add water, increase the heat cover to cook for few minutes.
8. The tilapia should be ready or almost ready by now to serve. You can still perform the activity of glazing and turning regularly.
9. While the banku is left to cook for a while, you can wash your fresh tomatoes, pepper and bulb onions. Grind or blend them together depending on how hot you want it and quantity. Add salt to taste and slice some onions into your preferable on the side.
10. After few minutes of leaving banku to cook with a little water in it, continue the driving or kneading process until it’s smooth.
11. When the banku is cooked or smooth to your satisfaction, shape the it into preferred serving sizes with a round small bowl.
Garnish your tilapia with slice of onion and green pepper. Banku with hot pepper and tilapia is ready to serve. Enjoy you with some chilled water and drink after.
