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Showing posts with label AFRICAN CUISINE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFRICAN CUISINE. Show all posts

Thursday, June 11, 2020

AGBELI KAKLO / BANKYE KRAKRO (CASSAVA CROQUETTES)

AGBELI KAKLO / BANKYE KRAKRO (Cassava Croquettes)
Cassava is a staple food crop in many parts of the world.
A native to South America, cassava was introduced to Africa in the 16th Century by Portuguese traders.
Since then cassava has grown to become a staple food for most African countries. Cassava is grown principally for its starchy roots and it is a good dietary caloric source and has since become one of its most important root crop.
Cassava (Agbeli) in the Ewe language (a language spoken in Ghana, Togo and Benin) means "there is life".
Today I’m going to share a beautiful Ghananian recipe, “Agbeli Kaklo” made with this humble tuber that’s so easy to grow and quite filling and nutritious.
Locally, Cassava is known as Agbeli/Bankye and Krakro/Kaklo means fried.
Agbeli Kaklo is a crunchy savoury snack.
The recipe is very simple and has minimal ingredients, yet very tasty.
This dish is normally eaten with grated or shaved fresh coconut.




Ingredients (Serves - 4-6)
Cassava - 2-3 Medium size
Onion – 1 Medium size
Green Chilly - 1-2
Cooking oil
Salt as per taste
Fresh coconut, sliced or grated into thin shavings

Method
Wash and peel the cassava, cut each down the middle lengthwise so that you can remove the stalky thread running through it, cut them into big chunks. Grate the cassava finely.
Place the grated cassava in a sieve and rinse thoroughly in cold water to remove the starch. Leave to drain. Now place the grated cassava in a muslin cloth and squeeze out all the starch. Leave to air-dry a little on a plate (this step is optional)
In a bowl, add the dried cassava, onion, green chilies chopped and salt. Mix well and make a tight ball by pressing firmly to keep them bound together. (Refer Picture)


Deep fry the balls on a moderate heat, turning them intermittently to evenly cook them. Fry until golden brown. Strain off excess oil.



Agbeli Kaklo is served hot with dried coconut. Enjoy as a snack with hot tea/coffee.
Make this as a starter item for a party and surprise your guests.

Variations
· If you like you can avoid Onions

· You can add Freshly chopped Coriander leaves to the mix

Tips
· If you do not have a muslin cloth, you can squeeze out the starch using your hand as well.

· If you don’t air dry the Cassava after squeezing out the starch, then it may absorb more oil while frying due to the moisture, yet, this step is optional.

· The starch that is squeezed out from the Cassava is commonly used in puddings and as a thickener. It can be saved as well, so nothing goes wasted.

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