- Title: Blending Ghanaian food with social media to create some of 2019's best recipes
- Date: 30th December 2019
- Summary: ACCRA, GHANA (FILE) (REUTERS) AERIAL OF MAKOLA MARKET VARIOUS OF JOYCE GYEBI A.K.A 'MUKASA CHIC' AT MAKOLA MARKET GYEBI AT PEPPER STAND RED PEPPERS / GREEN PEPPERS (SOUNDBITE) (Twi) MARKET TRADER SAYING: "These are 30 cedis (5 USD), these are 15 cedis (2), these are 10 cedis (1 USD), and these are 5 cedis (90 Cents)." (SOUNDBITE) (Twi) MUKASE CHIC NEGOTIATING WITH MARKET WOMAN SAYING: "Give me one for 5 cedis (90 Cents). Nice ones like these. So 5 cedis (90 Cents), I bought one. Thank you." MARKET TRADER PACKING PEPPERS IN PLASTIC BAG GYEBI PAYING FOR THE PEPPERS AVOCADOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOYCE GYEBI A.K.A. 'MUKASE CHIC', GHANAIAN FOOD BLOGGER, TASTING AVOCADO AND SAYING: "Hi my name is Mukase chic and I'm a food blogger from Ghana. I am a food blogger because this is how I contribute to the documentation and the history of keeping Ghanaian cuisine." SMOKED MACKEREL (UPSOUND) (Twi) GYEBI NEGOTIATING FOR MACKEREL WITH FISH TRADER SAYING: "How much is the fish. Is this mackerel? Is this barracuda and is this tuna? Ok so give me the mackerel for 12 cedis." FISH TRADER'S FACE GYEBI WALKING THROUGH MARKET TOMATOES CARROTS SEVERAL TYPES OF FISH LAID OUT SMOKED FISH GYEBI TAKING PHOTO OF TRADER HOLDING UP A LARGE FISH AERIAL VIEW OF ACCRA AERIAL VIEW OF INDEPENDENCE SQUARE NATIONAL FLAG OF GHANA VARIOUS INGREDIENTS (SMOKED MACKEREL, ONIONS, PEPPER, EGGS, YAM, "STINKY FISH" AND PALM OIL) GYEBI CUTTING UP SWEET POTATO TIME-LAPSE OF GYEBI PLACING INGREDIENTS IN POT TO COOK (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOYCE GYEBI A.K.A. 'MUKASE CHIC', GHANAIAN FOOD BLOGGER, TALKING AS SHE COOKS: "Today we are making "Etor", so "Etor" is a very traditional yam-based or plantain-based meal that is often celebratory food, so when people have their birthday, or they give birth people use "Etor" to celebrate them. I learned this recipe from my grandmother and I'm so excited that over the years I've perfected the recipe. Interestingly, I love to use sweet potatoes, so I use the local sweet potato because I tend to like the sweetness that the sweet potato adds to it. Let me just take you through the basic ingredients you need for "Etor". For my "Etor", sweet potatoes, you need "momone". So people call "momone" stinky fish, I love...it stinks, but it smells really good. I like "momone" because it's fermented fish and it adds a really great depth of flavour to the dish. Also you need palm oil. You can do "Etor" without palm oil but the traditional one requires that you add palm oil, it gives it the colour and then you need onions, pepper and peanut butter. So you can use crunchy peanut which I will add, and also peanut butter. To make sure that I give it the 'Mukase Chic' twist I am going to add smoked mackerel and the reason why I am adding smoked mackerel is because "Etor" is so heavily based on carbohydrate and It's time that we need to make our traditional meals healthy and balanced, so I'm adding this nicely smoked mackerel that we got this morning from the market and also some very creamy avocado." INGREDIENTS COOKING GYEBI REMOVING INGREDIENTS FROM POT GYEBI MASHING UP INGREDIENTS GYEBI ROASTING THE "MOMONE" ON AN OPEN FLAME (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOYCE GYEBI A.K.A. 'MUKASE CHIC', GHANAIAN FOOD BLOGGER, TALKING AS SHE COOKS: "What I do with most of the Ghanaian cuisine is to shorten the preparation time and I think most people - bear with me - it takes so long for someone to cook Abenkwaen (palmnut soup) or "Nkate Nkwaen" (groundnut soup) because you have to cook it over and over again. It is almost like, which is great I mean our grandmothers used that to develop flavours, but I think there are shorter ways of doing things, people are always on the go, so that's some of the things that I do." GYEBI POURING PALM OIL INTO THE MASHED INGREDIENTS ONIONS FRYING IN PALM OIL VARIOUS OF GYEBI LADLING SAUCE ONTO THE SERVINGS OF "ETOR" (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOYCE GYEBI A.K.A. 'MUKASE CHIC', GHANAIAN FOOD BLOGGER, TALKING AS SHE COOKS: "My food blogging has a niche. I blog about Ghanaian cuisine and I make myself the number one ambassador, campaigner of Ghanaian cuisine to the world and I think that people like it when you pursue your passion and also to make sure that you are consistent and that's what I've had." VARIOUS OF GYEBI TAKING PHOTOS OF THE "ETOR"
- Embargoed: 13th January 2020 13:45
- Keywords: Etor Ghanaian cuisine Ghanaian traditional food Joyce Gyebi Makola market Mukase Chic food blogger
- Location: No-Data-Available
- City: No-Data-Available
- Country: Ghana
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001BC63AZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Makola market in central Accra - one of the city's most popular and best-stocked shopping centres. It's also a favourite haunt of Joyce Gyebi a.k.a 'Mukese Chic', because it holds a treasure trove of ingredients for the traditional Ghanaian dishes that she is famous for cooking and promoting.
After picking up some peppers and smoked mackerel, Gyebi heads through Accra's busy streets to her home, and more importantly her kitchen - where the magic happens.
"Today we are making "Etor", so "Etor" is a very traditional yam-based or plantain-based meal that is often celebratory food, so when people have their birthday, or they give birth people use "Etor" to celebrate them. I learned this recipe from my grandmother and I'm so excited that over the years I've perfected the recipe. Interestingly, I love to use sweet potatoes, so I use the local sweet potato because I tend to like the sweetness that the sweet potato adds to it. Let me just take you through the basic ingredients you need for "Etor". For my "Etor", sweet potatoes, you need "momone". So people call "momone" stinky fish, I love...it stinks, but it smells really good. I like "momone" because it's fermented fish and it adds a really great depth of flavour to the dish. Also you need palm oil. You can do "Etor" without palm oil but the traditional one requires that you add palm oil, it gives it the colour and then you need onions, pepper and peanut butter. So you can use crunchy peanut which I will add, and also peanut butter. To make sure that I give it the 'Mukase Chic' twist I am going to add smoked mackerel and the reason why I am adding smoked mackerel is because "Etor" is so heavily based on carbohydrate and It's time that we need to make our traditional meals healthy and balanced, so I'm adding this nicely smoked mackerel that we got this morning from the market and also some very creamy avocado," she tells Reuters.
The self-trained chef now has a popular blog, a strong following on social media, and restaurant that serves traditional Ghanaian food all under the Mukase Chic brand.
But she's had to make some tweaks along the way to keep her cooking - and ultimately her business - efficacious.
"What I do with most of the Ghanaian cuisine is to shorten the preparation time and I think most people - bear with me - it takes so long for someone to cook Abenkwaen (palmnut soup) or "Nkate Nkwaen" (groundnut soup) because you have to cook it over and over again. It is almost like, which is great I mean our grandmothers used that to develop flavours, but I think there are shorter ways of doing things, people are always on the go, so that's some of the things that I do," she adds.
Gyebi studied Theatre Arts at the University of Ghana, but she says it was her parents' love for cooking and the happy times around the dinner table during her formative years, that lured her into her current career in the food sector.
Her goal is to share the joy that comes with the flavors, dishes, and culinary stories she creates, with as many people as possible.
"My food blogging has a niche. I blog about Ghanaian cuisine and I make myself the number one ambassador, campaigner of Ghanaian cuisine to the world and I think that people like it when you pursue your passion and also to make sure that you are consistent and that's what I've had," she says.
(1 Ghanaian Cedi = US$0.18171) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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