Yesterday I was listening to CBC Radio Now and Never and one of the hosts, Ify Chiwetelu was documenting her experience trying to make ogbono soup. She said that being able to make the perfect traditional soup is a big achievement for her. Especially as Nigerian-Canadian woman this is one way she can connect with her culture.
Hearing this really resonated with me because this is essentially what this whole blog is about; learning to make traditional Ghanaian cuisine. Let me tell you, it is a journey. Sometimes I feel like I am not creating these recipes fast enough because a lot of people keep asking me for a jollof rice recipe, or the recipes to foods I share on my instagram story that my mom makes. But, in all honesty I do not have them and I still do not.
Ghanaian food is very special to me and it is food that takes time to perfect. It does not help that there are no strict recipes, but the more I think about it, there more it makes sense. Every individual’s recipes taste different. My mum’s jollof taste different from my aunt’s jollof and hers taste different from her cousin’s jollof. I feel like learning Ghanaian cooking is not just about the basics but more about taking what you have learned and making it your own. I already am trying to make it my own by making it plant-based, but this is the beginning of the story. What I need is time. Time to really master the basics to be able to add my own combination of flavours. In doing so every recipe I make is slightly different. There maybe slightly less rice, more tomatoes, less salt, more coriander and cumin, maybe I will add basil one day and remove it the other day.
I guess what I am trying to say is that it takes time to perfect these recipes. Unlike other recipes where i can take three tries to perfect this is something close to home and is something I want to take years to perfect. And even with a recipe, it’s not like it is not going to change. So please be patient with me.
No Comments