7 Ghanaian dishes to replace the usual fried rice and chicken this Christmas

One of the most common dishes to find is fried rice and chicken.

The good news is, there are some tasty and most importantly healthy local dishes that could replace the usual fried rice and chicken.

Pulse.com.gh brings you 8 local dishes that you could make your festive a cut above the others.

1. Waakye

Waakye is a meal that exhibits Ghanaians’ creative use of rice. The recipe is a merger of beans and rice and originally a Northern dish. However, it can now be found almost everywhere on the streets of Ghana. Eating Waakye will open the door to a range of Ghanaian tastes and flavours as the main dish is served with other sides such boiled eggs, fried plantain, garri (grated cassava), spaghetti and avocado.

2.BankuandTilapia

This popular Ghanaian dish is a great family meal for this festive season. When you see fish being grilled on the streets, it is most likely to be tilapia, a delicacy among Ghanaians, who spice then grill the succulent freshwater fish.

It complements banku, a Southern mix of fermented corn and cassava dough, and very hot pepper, diced tomatoes and onions. Banku is one of the main dishes of the people who live by the Ghanaian coast

3. Kenkeyand fried fish

Kenkey is another corn-based staple similar to banku, that is made by moulding fermented corn dough into balls and wrapping them around drying corn leaves, which are then boiled.

The meal is served with hot pepper sauce, fried crabs, octopus or fish and is a delicacy of the people of Ghana.

4. Omo Tuo

Omo Tuo is another traditional Ghanaian food that shows how the population often reinvents the myriad ways of eating rice.

It comprises soft boiled grains that are moulded into balls and served with a variety of soups.

5. Tuo Zaafi

Northern Ghanaian food is dominated by the use of grains, herbs and meat as these are the main food products of the area.

Tuo Zaafi is similar to banku, although it is quite soft and less sticky, and is made by cooking corn dough and adding a little cassava.

What distinguishes Tuo Zaafi and makes it a popular meal nationwide is the nutritious and rare herbs used in making the accompanying soup, including dawadawa and ayoyo leaves.

6. Kelewele

Kelewele is an instant favourite among anyone who tries it, even those who aren’t big fans of peppery food.

Usually sold as a snack or side dish all over the country, it is made by frying soft plantains that have been soaked in a medley of peppers, ginger and garlic. The aroma is crisp and strong, while the pleasant plantain adds some sweetness to the sour.

7. Fufu and goat light soup

Fufu is a staple food across West Africa but in Ghana, it is made by pounding a mixture of boiled cassava and plantains into a soft sticky paste to go along with aromatic and spicy tomato soup. Fufu can also be found in Northern Ghana, although it is made with yam in this region. This weekend delight is relished across the country, albeit with slight differences made to the core recipe.