Ivory Coast is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city Yamoussoukro is in the centre of the country. There are over 60 ethnic groups in the country. The Akan are the predominant ethnic group in the country making 42.1% of the entire population. Ivorian cuisine is based on tubers, grains, pig, chicken, seafood, fish, fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices.
Attiekè with fried fish
One of the most popular dishes of the Ivory Coast, now widespread throughout the western coast of Africa, is Attiekè, a sort of cassava couscous, to be enjoyed together with fried fish. Here’s how to prepare it.
Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
- 2 white fish of your choice,
- vegetable oil to taste,
- 2 medium onions,
- powdered ginger to taste,
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder,
- 1 chilli pepper,
- Salt to taste.,
- 1/2 glass of water,
- pepper as needed.,
- aromatic herbs to taste (thyme for example).
- 1 kilo of dry or frozen Attiéké,
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil,
- 240 ml of water,
- 2 medium tomatoes cut into cubes,
- 1/2 green pepper diced.
Preparation
Season the cleaned fish with the ginger and salt mixture. Heat the oil and when it is hot enough, immerse the fish and add the fresh aromatic herbs. Fry for a few minutes. In the meantime, place the Attiekè in a bowl, season with oil and mix well with a fork. Add hot water and salt, continuing to stir until it has absorbed it all. Move the cassava into a pan and sauté everything with oil, a chopped onion, the tomato cubes, the pepper and the chilli. Season with salt and pepper. Serve your Attiéké as a side dish to fried fish. (Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0/ Serein)
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Kédjénou
The kédjénou is a tasty chicken stew, traditionally cooked in a terracotta container called a canari. The pot remains closed throughout cooking so that the flavours remain intact, and the meat and vegetables are cooked in their own steam and juices. Usually, no other liquids are added. The canari is shaken from time to time to prevent the ingredients from burning and sticking to the bottom. This cooking technique is very similar to the North African tajine style.
Time 60 minutes (and two hours to marinate)
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 500 gr chicken legs and/or wings
• 1 aubergine - 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped chili pepper with seeds removed - 3 peeled and chopped tomatoes
• 1 red or green pepper - 1 piece of minced ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of paprika - 50 ml chicken broth
- 1 tbsp ground nut oil
Preparation
Chop up all the vegetables and place them in a bowl with the chicken, together with the ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, bay leaves and whole chili pepper. Leave everything to marinate for a couple of hours. We advise you to cut the aubergine later to prevent it from oxidizing. Once the marinating time has elapsed, arrange the vegetables, including the diced aubergine, in a terracotta or cast-iron pot (the Dutch oven is ideal) useful for reproducing the Canarian effect, with a spoonful of oil and place the chicken portions on top. Season with salt and pepper and add the broth. Cook over low heat with the lid closed for about 45 minutes. (Photo: CC BY 2.0/goodiesfirst)
