Konkonte
is a Ghanaian dish usually eaten with soups made from palm nut or groundnuts.
It is popular in West African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, and is also
eaten in the Caribbean. It is a simple dish made from dried and pounded cassava,
or manioc root, and takes upon a brown appearance once made. In Ghana the dish
is locally prepared by the Akans where it's local name is derived from the Kwa
languages. It is also known by many as abitie, abetee, lapiiwa, and lapelawa.
The appearance
of the fully prepared Konkonte depends on the type of cassava used and to what
extent it has been dried. It generally looks brownish in color but can also be
chocolate-brown. Its color is similar to that of the top school uniform worn by
basic students in most parts of Ghana.
The basics of cooking Konkonte
begins with getting the cassava from the farm or from the nearest market.
Cassava is one of the most widely eaten staples across Ghana because it is
relatively cheap. One can buy relatively little of the flour and have enough
for a whole family. It is this same cassava that is combined with plantain to
prepare the local Ghanaian dish known as fufu (pronounced by some as Fufuo).
Pre-cooking
To get edible cassava, the plant
must first be peeled. The peel can be used to feed livestock or used as manure
to fertilize the farm yard (if a farmer). The edible cassava is then washed. It
is cut into chips. These cassava chips are usually dried in the sun, then
ground at a mill into powder.
There are a couple of ways to dry
cassava chips. In Ghana, some farmers have what is termed in Twi as Apa,
which simply refers to a kind of booth made of palm fronds on which farmers
place their harvested maize. This booth is intentionally made over the locally
made type of kitchen called Muka. This is done so that the smoke coming
out of the firewood dries the maize, in this case the cassava chips. This
method of drying gives the cassava chips a blackened appearance which affects
the overall appearance of the final product— the prepared and cooked Konkonte.
The best method, though, is the natural way - drying the cassava chips in
direct sunlight by spreading them over a drying tray usually made of a wood or
aluminium big enough to spread the chips on.
One noteworthy fact is that, when
the undried cassava chips are left unattended for enough time, they will start
developing a form of brownish-like algae on the surfaces. After developing this
fungus, the appearance of the final dish will be affected. Thus it is
recommended that the chips are dried while they are fresh to retain the whitish
nature of the final dish. However, many believe the browning of the chips also
adds to overall taste of the Konkonte.
To convert the dried chips into
powder, it is pounded in a mortar and pestle, or taken to the mill to be
ground. This gives the final product that will be cooked by adding water,
kneading it on the fire until cooked, then you have your Konkonte dish.
Cooking
and serving
Konkonte powder can be mixed with
room temperature water or hot water. Some people prefer adding hot water to the
powder first before cooking. It is stirred on the fire until it thickens and
then it is kneaded and cooked some more.
If it is too thick, one adds a little
more hot water to it then covered with a lid for few minutes, and then kneaded
against the pot until the water mixes it well, (you may have to repeat the hot
water addition and kneading if necessary until you get the right
consistency)until it is cooked. Serving 1: Once cooked, wet a deep bowl all
around with a little water, scoop portion suitable for your meal and place in
middle of bowl,draw all edges of konkonte to middle of portion, it will create
a smooth base of konkonte underneath. Flip over and you should have a smooth
ball to put your soup over.
Serving 2 : Some people just
scoop a portion into bowl and pour their soup over it.
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