African Cuisine!
Republic of Benin The cuisine from Benin is very a appreciated in all Western Africa. Staple foods in Benin include yams, cassava, rice, corn, millet and rice. There are many fruits rising on the productive grounds of Benin, mostly in the south, like oranges, bananas, mandarin oranges, pineapples, kiwi, avocado and others. Many Beninese dishes are served with rice or corn dough. Generally, people from Benin fry vegetables or meat in peanut oil or palm oil depending on the region. Ago Glain
Ago Glain (Crab with Peanut Sauce) www.internationalcuisine.com/category/benin/
Ago Glain is a crab dish with a great blend of flavors with tomato, onion, peanut butter and some heat from the piri-piri peppers. Serve with some hot basmati rice for a great meal from Benin. Serves 4 Ingredients: • 6 large fresh crabs about 1½ lbs. • 1 cup vinegar • 2 cups peanut butter • 3 large tomatoes • 1 bay leaf • 1 sprig of parsley chopped • 1 large onion
• 2 large onions finely chopped • 3 whole cloves • Juice of 3 limes • 1 tablespoon palm oil • 1 tablespoon piri-piri chilies minced • Salt and pepper to taste Directions: • Wash the crabs and place in a large pot full of boiling water, add in the vinegar. • Season with salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes, skim off any foam that forms at the top of the pot. • Add in the whole tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley and the whole onion with the cloves stuck into it. • Continue cooking for 5 minutes then remove the tomatoes and continue cooking the other ingredients for another 5 minutes. • Remove the crabs, remove their shells and take out the crab meat from the body and the claws. • Mix the crab meat with the lime juice and set aside. • Heat the palm oil in a pan and add the finely chopped onion and fry until translucent. • Add the tomatoes and peanut butter and cook until they form a paste before adding the chilies. • Now add in the crab meat and stir to heat through. • Stuff the crab meat into the cleaned shells and serve with rice. • Garnish with some parsley.
Spicy Peanut Sauce https://foreignfork.com/spicy-peanut-sauce/
This Spicy Peanut Sauce is made with a blended onion base and a hearty helping of habanero pepper. Depending on your spiciness preference, you can range your habanero portion from “no addition” to “alllll the spiciness.” Enjoy this Spicy Peanut Sauce on…almost everything. Rice, vegetables, potatoes, meat (consider topping roasted sweet potatoes with this sauce).
83 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | Sept 2021
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