4 essential West African dishes and how to make them

Smoky skewered meat, browned over flames, dipped into a zesty mustard at a dibiterie (grilled meat restaurant) in Dakar — or wrapped in newspaper and dusted with bright copper yaji spice amid the busy Lagos traffic. Yam or cassava pummelled into plush, stretchy mounds of fufu, dipped into Ghanaian kontomire or Nigerian esa — both stews of leafy greens, salted with crushed seeds and umami-rich fermented locust beans. Tennis ball-sized orbs of dough — called puff-puff in Nigeria, botokin in Togo, kala in Liberia and bofloto in Cote d’Ivoire — kissed with nutmeg and gently bouncing like buoys in hissing hot oil.

The diversity within West African cuisine speaks to the varied landscape — from the rugged Atlantic coastline to the tawny fringes of the Sahara, from the pulsing urban areas to the placid mountain plateaus — as well as to the region’s cultural abundance. With over 500 languages spoken across multiple distinct communities, West Africa is no monolith. However, there are commonalities in the cuisine. Neighbouring peoples have always exchanged recipes, and dishes transcend the colonial borders that cut across ethnic identities. Here are eight of the region’s defining dishes.

1. Peanut stew

“This is our Sunday roast,” says Akwasi Brenya-Mensa, founder of Tatale restaurant, which recently wrapped up a year-long residency at London’s Africa Centre. He’s detailing the post-church ritual of diving into restorative bowls of nkatenkwan (also known as nkatsenkwan) — Ghanaian peanut stew. The dish is built upon a base of fragrant seasonings such as onions, garlic and ginger, sautéed in oil, with fresh or pureed tomatoes. Peanut butter is folded in, giving the dish its distinctive sweet and earthy flavour and creamy mouthfeel. “We were taught to eat [this dish] with our hands,” Akwasi says. “It’s only when you go to other places that you’re made to feel weird about that, but it’s how I’ve always enjoyed it.”

Believed to originate from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali — where it’s known as tigadegena — peanut stew is a dish, like many in West Africa, that crosses modern political borders. You’ll find it everywhere from Senegal (where it’s called maafe) to Gambia (domoda), with consistencies ranging from brothy to velvety. Cooks will often add meat, such as chicken or lamb, and vegetables, all of which become tender and soak up the flavours of the stew as it simmers.

Zoe Adjonyoh’s peanut stew recipe

Nkatsenkwan, as this dish is known in Ghana, is usually eaten with fufu (pounded green plantain or yam with cassava), but can also be served with boiled yams, cassava, rice or fried sweet plantain. This recipe is for lamb (or mutton), however, it can be made with any combination of meat or seafood.
Serves: 4-6
Takes: 2 hrs

Ingredients:
2kg mixed bone-in lamb
(or mutton) neck and shoulder, cubed
500ml good-quality vegetable stock (or water)
1 onion, finely diced
5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
8 green kpakpo shito chillies (or 1-2 scotch bonnet chillies), pierced (adjust to desired level of heat)
1 tbsp extra-hot chilli powder
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
100-200g peanut butter (adjust to your preferred thickness)
1 red scotch bonnet chilli, pierced
3 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts or gari (fermented, dried and ground cassava), to garnish (optional)

For the chalé sauce:
400g tinned tomatoes or 600g fresh tomatoes
2 red peppers, roasted
30g tomato puree
1 small white onion, diced
5cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 small red scotch bonnet chilli (use half and de-seed for less heat)
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
3 garlic cloves (optional)
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp extra-hot chilli powder

Method:
Start off by making the chalé sauce. Put the tomatoes, roasted red peppers, tomato puree, ginger, scotch bonnet chilli, chilli flakes and garlic cloves (if using) in a blender and blend until you have a fairly smooth paste. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the white onion until soft, then add the curry powder and chilli powder and cook until melded together. Add the blended tomato mix and simmer gently for 35-40 mins, until the tartness of the tomatoes has cooked out. If you’re not using the chalé sauce straight away, leave to cool then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for future use.

Put the lamb in a large, heavy-based saucepan, cover with the stock or water and add the onion, ginger, garlic, kpakpo shito chillies, chilli powder, curry powder, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer over a medium heat for 25 mins until the lamb juices run clear, skimming off any froth that rises to the surface.

Stir in the chalé sauce, then add the peanut butter 1 tbsp at a time while stirring until it’s all dissolved. Add the scotch bonnet and cook for a further 45 mins-1 hr over a low heat, stirring regularly so the sauce doesn’t stick to the pan, until the peanut oil has separated and risen to the top (this means that it’s done). You should have a soupy consistency and super-tender meat falling away from the bone. Serve with your choice of side dish, or simply with crushed roasted peanuts or gari sprinkled on top.

Taken from Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, by Zoe Adjonyoh (£20, Mitchell Beazley)

2. Akara

Beloved for their crisp, golden exterior and spongy interior, akara bean fritters originate from the Yoruba people, who live largely in Nigeria, Togo and Benin. However, akara are found across the region and beyond, having reached Brazil (where they’re known as acaraje) and the Caribbean (bollitos de carita in Cuba and cala in Aruba) due to the slave trade — and they’ve come to represent West Africa’s resilience and culinary influence.

Made from soaked and peeled black-eyed beans that are whipped into a thick batter and fried, akara vary in consistency from fluffy to dense. Today, they’re embellished with onions, peppers, chillies and, sometimes, smoked fish. However, historically, they relied on the earthy flavour of the beans alone. “Beans are essential to West African cuisine,” says Aji Akokomi, founder of Michelin-starred restaurant Akoko and its sister establishment, Akara, both in London.

“Our foods aren’t just sustenance,” adds Joké Bakare, founder of Michelin-starred restaurant Chishuru, in London. “They have specific meanings, like ewa ibeji — spicy beans cooked to celebrate twins.” Yoruba people prepare akara to commemorate births, deaths and memorials, while “Muslims share akara at Asalatu, Sunday prayer meetings, or seven days after a person has passed,” says Joké. The dish is also made for celebrations such as the Olokun Festival in Ile-Ife, and offered to orishas (Yoruba deities) in Bahia, Brazil.

Aji Akokomi’s akara recipe

This savoury black-eyed bean fritter can be sliced and stuffed with various fillings, such as barbecued prawns. If you can’t find cooking kaani, substitute it for 10g scotch bonnet chilli, crushed with a pestle and mortar.
Serves: 6
Takes: 20 mins plus 8 hrs soaking

Ingredients:

250g soaked black-eyed beans
100g yellow onions, chopped
10g cooking kaani
5g coarse salt
vegetable oil, for frying

Method:
To make the black-eyed bean paste, soak the beans in cold water for around 8 hrs until they soften slightly and the skin starts breaking away from the bean. Once soaked, divide the beans into batches and rinse each batch 10 times. Blitz all the beans in a food processor for around 2 mins until very smooth.

To make the akara seasoning, add 50g of the black-eyed bean paste, the onions, cooking kaani and salt to a food processor and blitz for 2 mins. Set aside.

Combine the remaining black-eyed bean paste with 3½ tsp water in a small jug. Blitz with a hand blender for 3 mins, then add the akara seasoning and blitz with the hand blender for 1 min more.

Divide the mixture into six, then form each section into a ball. Pour enough oil into a pot to submerge the balls and heat to 195C. Transfer the akara balls to the pot, making sure not to overcrowd it. Fry for 4 mins until golden-brown, then use a slotted spoon to remove the akara from the pot. Serve warm.

3. Thieboudienne

Described as the original jollof rice – the ubiquitous red, fragrant West African dish – thieboudienne is a one-pot wonder of rice stewed with firm, fleshy white fish. It’s a Senegalese speciality, to which vegetables ranging from aubergine, okra, cabbage and peppers to chunky roots like carrots, squash and cassava add layers of texture. The tart pinch of tamarind and the peppery bite of green hibiscus leaves provide additional hits of flavour. There’s also a lamb variety (thiebou yapp), and other meat versions, known as benachin, which are common in Gambia.

The dish — listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO — has its roots among the Wolof people. By oral tradition, broken rice is the base of more modern versions because of Penda Mbaye, a 19th-century cook in the fishing region of St Louis, who used fragmented grains imported by French colonialists.

“In my opinion, thieboudienne is the best jollof,” says Khadim Mbamba, founder of Senegalese restaurant Little Baobab, in London. “It’s a source of pride for the Senegalese community. You’ll find it everywhere — it’s our national dish. We cook it for any ceremony — births, deaths, weddings — but it’s also a daily meal, you never get bored of it.” For him, the secret to a great thieboudienne lies in the nokoss, the dish’s explosive lime-green base made of blended spring onion, garlic, salt and black pepper. “That super fresh aroma of the nokoss as it hits the pan will tell you if it’s going to be good.”

Khadim Mbamba’s thieboudienne recipe

This is the national dish of Senegal, consisting of fish with vegetables and jollof rice. Originating in historic Saint Louis, it has spread far and wide since, and in Senegal it’s still made at all important ceremonies and events.
Serves: 4
Takes: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves
½ green pepper, chopped
1 spring onion, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 fresh tomato, chopped
4 tbsp tomato puree
1 carrot, halved or quartered
½ cassava, cut into quarters
½ aubergine, cut into quarters
½ small white cabbage, cut into quarters
2 whole sea bass or similar white fish
2 okra
1 scotch bonnet chilli
100g tamarind paste
500g basmati rice
½ lime, to serve

Method:
Tip the garlic, green pepper, spring onion, salt, pepper and half of the chopped onion into a food processor and whizz until finely minced (alternatively, chop everything very finely and mix together).

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized pot, then fry the tomato and remaining onion for around 5 mins. Once cooked, add 3 tbsp of the tomato puree and stir well. Add 1 tbsp of the green pepper mix and cook, stirring constantly, for around 15 mins until it’s a dark-red colour and the oil has risen.

Pour in 800ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the carrot, cassava, aubergine and cabbage. Leave to cook on a low-medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add the rest of the green pepper mixture to the pot along with the fish, okra and chilli. Cover and cook on a low heat for a further 10 mins.

Heat the oven to its lowest setting. Remove the fish and vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon and place on an oven tray, then put in the oven to keep warm. Scoop 4 tbsp of the liquid from the pot and transfer to a small bowl. Add the tamarind to the bowl and mix together.

Wash and drain the rice three times, then add to the pot and stir well. Cover and cook on a low heat for around 20 mins. Stir once, turning the rice, and let it cook for a further 5 mins.

Transfer the rice to a large serving bowl and top with the warm fish and vegetables and the lime. Serve alongside the tamarind mix.

4. Cassava leaf stew

Originating in Sierra Leone, cassava leaf stew combines the tender leaves of the cassava plant with meat (or smoked fish in coastal areas), and the savoury stock of the protein for added depth. Peanut butter or ground peanuts enrich the dish texturally while adding a nutty flavour. “It’s a formidable delicacy because of how it’s seasoned,” says Maria Bradford, author of the cookbook Sweet Salone. “It’s flavoured with things like ogiri — fermented oil seeds with an intense miso-like taste. These ingredients work really well together, completely lifting these humble greens.”

Also known as saka saka or pondu, the stew is also made in various forms in Liberia and Guinea, as well as in Central Africa. The dish exemplifies the nose-to-tail, root-to-leaf philosophy that’s always defined West African cookery. Rather than being discarded, these unassuming leaves are developed into a meal of their own. And, while raw and unprocessed cassava leaves contain naturally occurring forms of cyanide, they’re perfectly safe to eat once boiled down.

“Cassava leaf stew also demonstrates our connection to our land and our tradition of experimenting with what it gives us,” says Maria. “Cassava is a constant feeder. Back home, my mum plants her own; it’s a reminder of how much the Earth provides.” She explains that plasas (leafy stews) are associated with the Mende people — one of Sierra Leone’s two largest ethnic groups — but cassava leaf stew is a daily staple across the country. “It’s so popular, people really eat it every day,” she says.

Maria Bradford’s cassava leaf stew

Dried smoked fish fillets and frozen goat meat are often available in African shops, but the former can be swapped for dried anchovies or dried mackerel here. If using anchovies, soak for 30 mins and rinse a couple of times.
Serves: 6-8
Takes: 1 hr

Ingredients:

100g ogiri (fermented sesame seeds)
3-4 tsp salt, or to taste
2kg goat meat on the bone, diced
700g packet ground cassava leaves
1.5 litres beef stock
500g dried smoked fish fillets, such as barracuda or snapper
350g sugar-free, smooth peanut butter
400g can butter beans, drained
400g onions (about 2 medium), finely chopped
500ml coconut oil
6 scotch bonnet chillies, seeds left in, to taste, ground to a paste in a pestle and mortar
3-4 tsp dried okra powder
plain boiled rice, to serve

Method:

Grind the ogiri and 1 tsp of the salt in a pestle and mortar. Put the goat, ground ogiri, ground cassava and stock in a large stock pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover for 30-40 mins, or until the meat is tender.

Rinse the fish. Add the peanut butter and fish to the pot, stir well and cook on a medium-low heat for around 20 mins.

Add the butter beans, onions, coconut oil, chillies and 2 tsp of the salt. Stir to incorporate and cook for 20–30 mins more, or until sauce the sauce is thick.

Add the dried okra powder to the sauce, 1 tsp at a time. Continue adding the okra powder and stirring in until the sauce has a thick consistency. Cover and cook for 5–10 mins more, then turn off the heat and leave for 10 mins. Taste, adding more salt if needed, and serve with plain boiled rice.

Taken from Sweet Salone, by Maria Bradford (£30, Quadrille)

Four more dishes to try:

1. Stewed beans
Nigeria’s ewa riro or the closely related red red in Ghana are both hearty, belly-warming dishes of slow-cooked beans. They’re simmered with a savoury blend of smoky, salty dried fish such as crayfish; fruity, hot scotch bonnet; and sweet, tangy tomato. The creamy texture of the beans is complemented by caramelised fried plantain.

2. Chicken yassa
A staple comfort food in Senegal and the Gambia, marinated chicken is slow-cooked until fork-tender. The chicken is coated in a golden gravy sweetened with caramelised onions and lifted by acidic bursts of lemon and peppery Dijon mustard. Ginger and chilli add subtle spice, while olives bring a salty tang. It’s enjoyed with rice, which soaks up the dish’s flavours. Some variations substitute chicken for lamb or fish.

3. Garden egg stew
Known as akpessi in Cote d’Ivoire or nyadowa in Ghana, this dish centres around garden eggs –small, pale, bulbous aubergines, native to the region. They’re diced and simmered in a rich tomato and onion sauce flavoured with aromatics like garlic and ginger, as well as chillies. Red palm oil is often used to add more depth, along with smoked fish such as mackerel, and punchy herbs and spices like African basil and cloves.

4. Ebbeh
Gambian ebbeh combines chunks of cassava with fresh seafood such as crab, prawns and catfish into a viscous broth. As well as red palm oil and potent chillies, flavourings like lime juice and tamarind add zest. The Sierra Leonean version, yebeh, often contains other starchy crops in addition to cassava, such as sweet potato, plantain or cocoyam, and can also feature meat.