Who would have thought I would be teaching a Voltarian to make samosas?
I met Grace awhile back when I found out that she makes the brown bread that we buy in Ho. The bread most sold here is very white and bulky and to the people’s taste here and it is rare to find brown bread. So finding her was wonderful. My purpose was to ask her where she bought her brown wheat flour from as that seems to be like gold dust in Ghana. I asked if I could buy some wheat flour and she wanted to know what it was for so I said for rotli. She said she would like to try some so I made some with a bean curry. I found out that this was for her husband’s benefit as he was placed, while in the army, in India and Pakistan and loves food from that part of the world. This is not something you hear from many Ghanains as I have said before.
Grace was frank – she did not like the rotli but she enjoyed the beans as it is similar to what Ghanains make with beans. However, she said she would like to learn how to make them and so last weekend she came home with her daughter. Surprise, surprise she also wanted to learn how to make samosas and she had brought ingredients for it – of course I would not use the mince meat she had brought, so replaced it with soya. That is something else most people here cannot understand. If you have money why would you not eat meat? Whenever we have been to small communities the caterers have always managed to make us great Ghanain vegetarian food but after a lot of explanations about why we are vegetarians.
Yesterday, Grace told me that the samosas and rotli was their dinner that day – which really surprised me but I guess it is a matter of exposure to different cuisine and willingness to try something different. Grace said she was practicing making samosas so that she can get good at it.
I really enjoyed teaching them both. I should really ask to be shown how to make fufu and banku but doubt I will have the strength to make either as both need a lot of elbow grease.
I met Grace awhile back when I found out that she makes the brown bread that we buy in Ho. The bread most sold here is very white and bulky and to the people’s taste here and it is rare to find brown bread. So finding her was wonderful. My purpose was to ask her where she bought her brown wheat flour from as that seems to be like gold dust in Ghana. I asked if I could buy some wheat flour and she wanted to know what it was for so I said for rotli. She said she would like to try some so I made some with a bean curry. I found out that this was for her husband’s benefit as he was placed, while in the army, in India and Pakistan and loves food from that part of the world. This is not something you hear from many Ghanains as I have said before.
Grace was frank – she did not like the rotli but she enjoyed the beans as it is similar to what Ghanains make with beans. However, she said she would like to learn how to make them and so last weekend she came home with her daughter. Surprise, surprise she also wanted to learn how to make samosas and she had brought ingredients for it – of course I would not use the mince meat she had brought, so replaced it with soya. That is something else most people here cannot understand. If you have money why would you not eat meat? Whenever we have been to small communities the caterers have always managed to make us great Ghanain vegetarian food but after a lot of explanations about why we are vegetarians.
Yesterday, Grace told me that the samosas and rotli was their dinner that day – which really surprised me but I guess it is a matter of exposure to different cuisine and willingness to try something different. Grace said she was practicing making samosas so that she can get good at it.
I really enjoyed teaching them both. I should really ask to be shown how to make fufu and banku but doubt I will have the strength to make either as both need a lot of elbow grease.
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