What is kenkey?

Kenkey is a type of bread or dumpling that serves as a basic bowl in the African country of Ghana. It is made of ground maize that has been allowed to ferment before steaming or cooking to the final solid shape. The real Kenkey production process can be very time consuming, but in some areas it is still done almost every day. There are really two main types of Kenkey, both named after cultures in Ghana, which regularly cook them. Ga Kenkey differs from fanti version because it is not fermented for so long and traditionally wrapped differently before steaming.

The basic component in Kenkey is corn. In the most authentic version of the recipe, the corn is removed from the ears and soaked in water until soft, usually overnight. Soft corn then crushes into thick dough, sometimes with the addition of Cassava. Faster and perhaps more convenient way of making the dough is the use of finely ground corn flour mixed with warm water until it hardly soaks up.

corn dough is located in a container, covered and left in a warm area for several days. During this time, natural bacteria in the air cause to ferment kenkey and change the basic taste of corn. One of the problems to avoid during fermentation is to allow the starter to sit too long, in which case the rotten odor will develop and the dough will be unusable. Fanti version of food requires to sit anywhere from a few more hours to almost all day longer than Ga Kenkey.

Fermented dough is divided into two halves. The first half is placed in a pot of boiling water and mixed until it falls apart, boils and turns into a strong, trap. The second half of the dough is then added to the first outside the pelvis and are hounted together until the dough solidifies.

Dough is then packed before cooking. The GA type of dumplings is packed in corn peels. The Fanti version is packed in several layers of banana or itTron's leaves. After packing, Kenkey is usually steamed for several hours until it is done, he thought he could also be cooked in the water. Food can be served with many meals, but is often used with fish and tomato sauces.