Crain Crain and Cassava foo foo

Photo by George Dickson

Crain crain belongs to the okra family. It has a slimy consistency. It is prepared as stew with blended onions, scotch peppers, ogiri (fermented sesame seed paste) okra, meat, fish, palm-oil and a tad bit of bicarbonate soda to help thicken the stew and make it extra slimy. As well as foofoo, crain crain can be eaten with rice.

Cassava is one of the root vegetables most commonly used as a staple food across West Africa. Foofoo is made from cassava and is one of my favorite African dishes. It is made from fermented cassava that is later on, cooked and molded into a dough-like consistency ball. It can be prepared to be served with green leafy vegetable dishes, one of which is Crain Crain. Dish so tasty the inventor named it twice. 

 

 Ingredients

1.      2 bunch of crain crain

2.       A packet Foo foo

3.      Palm-oil

4.      3 medium size onions

5.      6 scotch peppers or enough to your tolerance

6.      1 big pack of ogiri

7.      A handful of okra

8.      Meat (kanda, cow intestines)

9.      Smoked fish

10.  Bicarbonate soda

11.  Maggie season

 12.  Salt

 

Photo by George Dickson

  

Method 

Crain Crain

1.      Pluck the leaves of the crain crain from the petiole (leaf stalk).

2.       Wash crain crain thoroughly and put aside.

3.      Wash and chop okra and put aside

4.      Bring your meat, kanda (cow skin, intestines) to boil for about 40 minutes or as soft as you want it

5.       Meanwhile blend onions and scotch pepper with ogiri. This should look like a thick smooth paste.

6.      Add the above mixture to the boiled meat and add 2 pints of water.

7.       Add half a pint of palm oil to the pot and leave to boil for 30 minutes or until you have a thick soup consistency.

8.       Add Maggie season and salt to taste

9.      Add 2 pinches of bicarbonate soda.

10.  Once the stew starts foaming, add crain crain and okra and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. Leave the pot open whilst pot boils and until the stew is cooked.

11.   Once the leaves are cooked, add fish and one or 2 scotch pepper for garnish when serving the dish later.

Photo by George Dickson

Method

Foo Foo

1.       Add water to foo foo paste and mix with hand into a thick runny consistency.

2.      Sieve the foo foo to remove chaff.

3.      Leave this to settle for about an hour.

4.      Strain off the surplus water and bring foo foo to cook on a low heat.

5.      Keep mixing the foo foo until it thickens into a hard dough

6.      Add about a handful of water to the pot. Cover and leave the dough to cook by steam.

     

Photo by George Dickson

      

This recipe makes enough to serve for 4 – 5 people.