Makola Market Madness!
Phew! We survived Friday the 13th. Now, here we are on our last Saturday in Ghana and it was as full a day as any. As Kate so kindly teed up for me, the first visit of the day was to Makola Market, the largest open-air market in Ghana. The afternoon held a cooking lesson with the incredibly talented Nana Ama, who led us through how to make some staple Ghanaian dishes. Stay tuned for the recipes! Sorry to report there is no "skip to recipe" button so you'll have to read the ENTIRE post before you can enjoy the fruits of our special recipes ;)
Our mode of transportation was not our typical swanky ride with trusty bus driver Mr. Anim; instead we filled a Tro Tro to its maximum capicty and drove 50 minutes to the Makola Market. We had previously visited Madina Market to purchase cloths for our custom outfits, but that could be considered tame compared to the sights and experiences we faced today at Makola. As Officer Reggie put it as we exited the Tro Tro: "brace yourself for the adventure ahead," and an adventure it was.
Curious eyes were immediately drawn to us as our large group stepped out of the van and into the parking space near the market. While we are somewhat acclimated to this phenomenon, it seemed elevated as the Ghanaian people wondered exactly what we were doing in the market on the busiest day of the week. We started our journey through the market, bobbing and weaving through the endless streets that made up Makola Market. We had to listen carfully as those pulling carts or carrying large items on their heads would shout "AGO" as they warned us to move quickly or get smacked. Some were surprised when responded and swerved just in time to avoid the consequences.
We walked quickly through the market, as it was too packed for the entire group to stop and shop. Instead, we took in the culture and atmosphere of the market while trying our best to stay together. Some people wecomed us to Ghana or asked where we're from, and others were a bit more intruigued as they gave some of our members a pat on the arm...as well as other places...
We'll never forget these experiences; the smells, (most ones we would prefer to not experience again), the people, the busiest place we've been in since before the pandemic, or for that point maybe ever. We'll never forget the smiling faces, or the face of the little girl screaming bloody murder after seeing Dr. DeVinck, perhaps the first white person that she had ever seen. But in the end, we all survived Makola Market.
After rehydrating to the best of our ability on the Tro Tro ride to lunch - a stop at the mall for the coveted KFC and/or Pizza Hut break - we were all getting excited for the upcoming authentic Ghanaian cooking lesson with Nana Ama.
We first separated into groups of three or four, each tasked with different pieces of the meal - vegetables and plaintain; chicken; red red; and jollof rice. Grouped in the two kitchens at the SIT center, the chicken and jollof groups cooked with Nana Ama on an outdoor stove while the plantain and red red groups were led by Dr. Ama inside. Those who may have had experience in the kitchen, and those who have never made more than Kraft Mac and Cheese were all in the same boat today as we were led through the steps of recipes that we had never navigated before. Now, all of those reading this post can either coerce their students to recreate this meal for them, or perhaps pursue this Ghanaian endeavor on their own with the recipes below.
And now for the highly anticipated part of this blog post: the recipes!
Fried Plantains:
- Rinse the sliced plantains (this gets the stickiness off and helps bring out the flavor)
- Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan
- Sprinkle a spoonful of salt across the sliced plaintains
- The oil is ready when it starts to make a sizzling noise
- Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of plantains
- Fry until golden and carmelized
- Lay the finished plantains in a paper towel
- Enjoy!
Fried Chicken:
- Cook your chicken in a shallow base of boiling water, adding more water and stiring as the chicken cooks for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat up a shallow layer of oil to fry your chicken in
- Fry your chicken until golden brown, being careful to not overcrowd the pan or reduce the temperature of the oil
- Strain your fried chicken, or place it on a paper towel to cool slightly before serving
- Enjoy!
Red Red:
- Heat oil in a pan and add one chopped red onion
- Add blended chili peppers
- Blend red onion with garlic and frech ginger and add it to the onions in the pan
- Add blended tomatoes
- Cook for 15 to 20 minutes
- Add salt to taste
- Simmer for another 10 minutes before adding your black eyed peas to your tomato base
- Enjoy!
Jollof Rice: (I may be biased, as I was a part of the designated Jollof Group, but if there is one recipe you try and replicate out of this post, let it be Jollof Rice!)
Oil
Blended tomato with habenero chili peppers
Fresh Garlic, Ginger, and Onion blended together
Curry Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
Tomato Paste (a small can)
Directions:
- Add your blended tomato and chili mixture
- Add curry powder (between 1 and 2 tablespoons, or to taste)
- Add salt and black pepper to taste
- Let simmer for a few minutes
- Add your small can of tomato paste to thicken your base (about two large spoonfuls)
- Add rice and a little bit of water to your tomato stew base
- Cover and let rice cook, stiring every few minutes by scraping the bottom of the pan and turning the rice over, it should be forming into somewhat sticky pieces
- Cook until your rice is cooked through, adding water as necessary (this process can take between one and two hours depending on how much rice you use)
- Enjoy your Jollof Rice!
**Post credits for the evening: David and Jake got haircuts with Officer Reginald this evening before we enjoyed the feast we helped prepare, and they are looking fabulous!
Thanks for sticking with me through this post, we're not done yet!
Sophie :)
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