Ishmael Annobil's picnic in the park

'What you call a meal we'd call a snack'

Ghanaians love long, laidback meals - just give them a week or two to get the flavours bubbling along nicely

'Ghanaian cooking involves a certain kind of alchemy which makes it taste out of this world. The ingredients have to be processed in an almost chemical way: the corn in our dishes will have been fermented for about three days, a joint of beef over a period of two weeks, our stews and soups bubble for hours. The lengthy preparation creates a pungency to our food and at the same time the finished dishes are surprisingly light on the tongue, delicate and fragrant. Jollof is the great highlight of the social calendar for Ghanaians. It is a meal to f?te important guests and good friends. Peanut soup is a classic, prepared in order to tide a family over for the rest of the week. What you call a meal in Britain, for instance a pie, potatoes and gravy, would be our version of a snack because it doesn't have the basic ingredients of tomatoes, onions, and a soupy texture to it. I do cook European food but I find if I don't have any Ghanaian dishes for a period of a month or so I feel slightly off colour. There are no stringent recipe rules - you can always add to a dish to make it to your taste. Almost every Ghanaian man or boy can cook because it is a liberated society and there is a clear and solid overlap between men and women in Ghana up to a point. Ghanaian food is a currency for social intercourse: you walk into a person's home, therefore you are supposed to eat there. People cook meals in anticipation of who might turn up on a night. It is a social, relaxed and friendly cuisine which is perfect for a laid-back picnic.'

The starter: Peanut soup

Serves up to 20

2 340g jars of smooth peanut butter

250g Parma hock of ham or salt beef

2kg smoked mackerel or salmon

2kg diced stewing lamb

3 400g cans of plum tomatoes

4 large onions

1 clove of garlic

4 bay leaves (4 if dried, 2 if fresh)

salt and small handful of black peppercorns

8 whole cloves of garlic

1 dessertspoonful of chilli (optional)

Place lamb in large saucepan and add 250ml of water. Scatter half a chopped onion, half a garlic clove, and 2 dessertspoonfuls of salt over meat. Cover meat and place on cooker and boil for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off once the water has evaporated completely and meats starts to sizzle. Blend the plum tomatoes together with the tomato pur¿e and set aside. Scoop out the peanut butter into a separate large saucepan (about 5 litres), add cloves, peppercorns and 500ml of hot water and blend with a ladle into a smooth slightly viscid paste.

Place paste on a moderate heat, cook for 30 minutes, stirring continuously. When paste starts to poplike volcanic lava, lower heat and stir occasionally, until a ring of oil forms round edge of paste - this is your signal to start making the soup. Boil one kettleful of water (approx.2 litres) and pour into peanut paste while it's still on the heat and blend well. Toss in hock of Parma ham whole for pungency. Add remaining onions peeled but whole and whole peeled garlic and bring to the boil. Blend the plum tomatoes together with the tomato puree and add the bay leaves and chilli (if needed). Add lamb (2kg) and hot water to about 2 inches from the top of saucepan, stir well and boil vigorously for 25 minutes without the lid, then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. After 40 minutes add the fish, broken into rough sections, and salt . When a clear ring forms round the saucepan the soup is ready. The constituency should be thin.

The main course: Jollof rice (or Jolly rice)

Serves up to 20

3kg rice (preferably basmati)

6kg diced lamb, beef, goat meat or chicken (cooked as above)

3 400g cans of peeled plum tomatoes (not chopped version)

200g tomato puree

4 sliced or chopped large onions

1 chopped clove of garlic

1 bunch of spring onions

4 bay leaves (4 if dried, 2 if fresh)

1 dessertspoonful of ground black pepper

2 tsps curry powder

8 whole (uncrushed) cloves

2 tsps of chilli (optional)

250ml olive oil


Place large saucepan on high heat and and warm the olive oil. Place boiled meat (prepared as above) in oil and fry gently, stirring often till slightly brown. Stir in chopped onions and garlic and fry till brown. Blend plum tomatoes with tomato puree and pour over meat and onion. Stir in well. Add curry powder, black pepper, bay leaves and chilli (if using). Fry for 20 minutes until the stew starts to pop and oil ring forms round the fringe. Boil 4 litres of (water must be about an inch above rice level - no more). Pour rice rapidly into stew and stir, maintaining the high heat. Pour over the boiling water and stir thoroughly. Lower heat to a simmer and cover saucepan. Cook for 30 minutes until the top grains of rice are tender. Wash and chop off tips of spring onions and sprinkle over. Cover and cook rice for another 10 minutes. Take off heat, fluff up rice with a wooden spoon and serve immediately.

Ishmael is a writer. He is the editor of the short story magazine Totem, and has recently launched a literary and oratorical club, OctoScripto in Bloomsbury, London

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