Download the June 2004 Guinea PCV Cookbook!

ZIP file (386 kB)
PDF file (900 kB)

See also our great list of cookbooks for cooking in 3rd world countries.

Click here for some West African recipes.

Jus de Bissap

3 cups of dried hibiscus flowers  1/2 tsp. strawberry or pineapple extract (opt.)
1 cup of sugar
   1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract

Wash hibiscus flowers in lukewarm water. Boil flowers in 2 quarts of water. Do not boil for more than 1 minute or juice will become bitter. Remove flowers and carefully pour juice into container. Be sure to avoid pouring any sediment from the bottom of pot into container.  Let sit until cool. Mix in  sugar (add more than 1 cup if needed) and extracts. Refrigerate.

1 cup tamarind pods
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

As with jus de bissap, boil 2 quarts of water. Rinse tamarind and remove pods if
possible. It is not necessary to remove the seeds. Add to boiling water. Boil for 1-2 minutes.  Let stand until cool.  Use strainer to remove larger sediment and seeds. Keep in mind that this juice is thick and that you should not remove the pulp. Remove smaller sediment while pouring into container. Add sugar and vanilla to taste. Refrigerate.

2 medium onions   1 whole hot pepper (do not chop) 1/2 cup of peanut butter,  salt and pepper to taste 2 cube maggi (bouillon cubes), 1 medium sweet potato 10 mini carrots,   1 medium potato 1/4 cup tomato paste,  2 cloves of garlic (minced)

In a large pot pour enough water to make it half full. Bring to a boil. Remove a small amount of the boiling water. Place in bowl and set aside. Add chopped onions, garlic and hot pepper to boiling pot.  Mix peanut butter (buy the natural kind with no sugar) with hot water in bowl. Once the p.b. is totally mixed in, pour into boiling pot. It will take awhile for the sauce to thicken. Peel and chop potatoes and add to pot. Add carrots. Add bouillon cubes.  Add salt and pepper. Before mix becomes thick, add tomato paste and mix well. Continue to simmer and stir for at least an hour. The sauce should be thick like a soup. This sauce is almost always cooked with meat or fish. In addition, Maffe is usually served over rice. Should you want to add these, consult Mademoiselle Hird.

Guinean Peanut Sauce

6 cups water
5 maggi cubes
1 large onion - chopped
pinch of oregano
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs tomato paste
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large tomato diced (remove seeds first)
1 (14 oz) jar natural peanut butter (no sugar added)
2 boneless chicken breasts cut into small pieces
4 habanero peppers
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs oil

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until tender.  Add everything except the chicken and peanut butter.  Bring it just to a boil to get the maggi cubes dissolved.  Bring it to a simmer and add the peanut butter.  Let it simmer about an hour. Add the chicken breast.  Simmer until the chicken breast is done ( about 30 minutes).  If you don't want the sauce spicy, leave the peppers whole.  If you'd like it spicy, break them up a little -- but take care not to release too much of the oils -- Habaneros are hot!

 If you're in a rush just add the peanut butter and chicken all at once and simmer until you like the consistency and the chicken is finished.

Fried Plaintains

3-4 large plantains (or very unripe bananas)
2-3 cups of vegetable oil
salt

This tasty snack is sold in small amounts for pennies all over West Africa. In Conakry, Guinea, vendors slice the plantains lengthwise. In NZerekore (the Guinean forest) however, the plantains are sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Feel free to try both versions. With adult supervision, heat oil until very hot in a fry pan or electric fryer. Put a little salt on plantains and fry until done.  The thin lengthwise-sliced plantains will be a deep yellow and should be crisp.  The thicker rounds will be brownish and crisp on the outside. The inside of the rounds should not be crisp. Store in paper bags for class.

Another version of the recipe, called Loco in southern Guinea, is to slice large chunks of plantains into a good amount of palm oil in a pot. Add onion and 2 maggi cubes to the browned plaintain and saute.

Fried sweet potatoes (patates)

3-4 medium sweet potatoes
oil
salt

Cut sweet potatoes in long 1/2 inch wedges. Prepare according to plantain directions. Store in paper bags as well. This is also a snack food found in markets and on streets all over W. Africa. This is often served with a very oily onion, tomato and dried fish sauce. Ask Mlle Hird for recipe if interested.

Thiacri senegalais (un dessert ou specialite  de Ramadan)
 

2-3 cups uncooked couscous marocain
1 32oz. container of DANON vanilla yogurt
1 small (6oz.) can of CARNATION condensed milk (non-sucre)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar

This is a wonderful after dinner treat or specialty eaten during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. Prepare couscous according to directions.  Couscous should be light, not sticky with clumps.  Set aside. Mix yogurt, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla extract. This should form a very thick milk.  Chill milk and couscous.  This last part, you will do in class:  pour milk into small cups. Add couscous to cups and mix well.  Eat with spoon.

Sesame Seed Cookies (Nigeria)

 Makes 4-5 dozen
 400 degrees
 8-10 minutes

 Cream together:
3/4 cup shortening or margarine
 1 cup sugar
 2 eggs
 1 t. vanilla or 1/2 t. lemon extract

 Add:
 2 1/2 cups flour
 1 t. baking powder
 1 t. salt
 1 cup sesame seeds

 Stir until well blended. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured, cloth-covered board.  Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes  or until very light brown.

Ginger Drink
This tastes just like the stuff you get in little bags - it's delicious. It's kind of a lot of work but it's very good and refreshing.  

6 c  -Boiling water
1 c  Ginger root;fresh, peeled & -grated
1 c  Sugar
2 ts Cloves, whole
Cinnamon sticks
1/2 c  Lime juice, fresh or lemon juice
1 c  Orange orange
8 c  -Cool water

Pour the boiling water over the grated ginger root, sugar, cloves and cinnamon in a large nonreactive pot or bowl (enamel, glass or stainless steel). Cover and set aside in a warm place, in the sun if possible, for   at least an hour. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cloth. Add the   juices and water. Set aside in a warm place for another hour or so. Gently   strain the liquid again, taking care not to disturb the sediment at the   bottom. Store in the refrigerator in a large nonreactive container. A glass gallon jar or jug works well. Serve warm, chilled or on ice, either as is or diluted with water or sparkling water. A squeeze of fresh lime juice in   each glass of ginger drink is nice.

Maffi Hakko

1/2 cup palm oil or plain vegetable oil
bunches sweet potato leaves, cut finely
1 med onion, chopped
salt, to taste
piment, to taste
2 1/2 heaping spoonfuls of dried, pounded, or cooked fish or beef
1 large maggi cube

Cut up the leaves, or buy them already cut.  Heat the palm oil in a pot until just before it starts to smoke.  Saute the onion until translucent.  Start adding handfuls of leaves into the pot, stirring and letting each handful cook down a minute or two.  Pour in enough water to cover the leaves by two inches.  Add piment and bring the sauce to a rolling boil.  Add fish or beef, and stir in.  boil until no water is left on te surface, just a layer of oil.  There will be lots of little bubbles, but not the large bubbles as with water as in a rolling boil.  Stir often at the end.  Serve over rice.

Gombo Sauce

4 cups diced gumbo (okra)
2 medium onions, chopped
meat, if desired
2 maggi cubes
salt and pepper to taste
piment to taste
palm oil

Saute oniions and piment and meat in lots of palm oil.  Add gumbo and continue cooking.  Add water to at least double volume.  Add maggi, salt and pepper.  Simmer until water is gone.  Great with curry seasoning too.

Bouille

There is rice and corn bouille, a nice hot cereal mush served during Ramadan.

2-3 cups of corn meal
1/2 - 1 cup of water
1 cup sugar
salt

Put cornmeal into a big bowl or calabash.  Add a little water, just enough to form little balls of cornmeal.  Every once in a while, shake the bowl to see what's formed and what's left over.  Once the balls are formed, let it sit for 1 or 2 hours to let the balls form more solidly.  Then add the boiling water, wait for it to form a soup-like kind of thick consistency.  Use a ladle to stir.  Add sugar, lemon, or salt to your taste.  Rice bouille is basically made the same way, but cook the rice until it's done, and serve with milk and sugar to your taste.

Boiled Mangoes

Place peeled mangoes in a pot with water and walt.  Let come to a boil and cook until mushy.  Eat with fork or hands.

Footi Sauce à la Nene Galle Diallo

1 can tomato paste
2 smashed tomatoes
2 small eggplants, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 Maggi cubes
1/2 kg pounded meat
1 1/2 cups oil
okras, if desired

Combine first 5 ingredients, then cook meat in the oil. When meat is well cooked, add the tomato mixtures, and cook for 30 minutes. Cook the okras in the sauce, and when finished cooking, pound the okras (alone) and then mix pounded okra into the rice. Serve sauce over rice. (An additional topping to sprinkle on top of the sauce can be made by pounding Maggi cube with odji).

Poulet Yassa

3-4 pounds chicken
6 lemons, squeezed.
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 onions, sliced in rounds
1 or 2 red peppers, or 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
4-6 tbsp oil
bay leaf
salt and pepper

Wash and dry chicken and cut into pieces.  Marinate chicken in mixture of lemon juice, onions, garlic, and 2-3 tbsp of the oil for several hours, turning occasonally as that all parts are covered.  Remove chicen and grill, broil, or braise until all pieces are lightly browned on all sides.  Drain onions and garlic, but retain the marinade.  Use a heavy casserole, Dutch Oven, or fry chicken; saute onions and garlic in the reminaing oil until soft.  Add chicken, bay leaf, peppers or cayenne, salt and pepper.  Simmer until chicken is tender (1 - 1 1/2 hours) or bake covered in medium (325 degree) oven.  Add marinade now and then so mixture remains moist.  Serve over rice.

Pumpkin Pie

This is from the Senegal Cookbook 1999 - for making Pumpkin Pie in Peace Corps

1 unbaked pie crust
11/2cup cooked, strained pumpkin....(squash may be used in place
of pumpkin.)
2/3 cup brown sugar or 1/2 cup honey
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup scalded milk
1 T. cornstarch
1 t.cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t each ground cloves and nutmeg

Combine all ingredients (except pie crust!) into a mixing
bowl.Pour into pie shell. Bake 45 mins. at 350 degrees (med. heat).... good luck
and enjoy!