Banku and Ga style okro stew, cooked from scratch over an open wood fire in the middle of a Swedish forest. My mother in law sent the recipe. Everything that happened after that is on me.
Banku is one of Ghana’s most loved staples, a fermented mix of corn dough and cassava dough stirred continuously over heat until it turns smooth, soft and slightly stretchy. Getting the texture right is the hard part, and doing it over an unpredictable wood fire instead of a coal pot made it harder again. You cannot walk away from it, and you cannot stand far from it either.
Ga style okro stew is thicker and richer than the versions most people know. Palm oil, smoked fish, and okro cut fine by hand so it draws properly. Add the okro too early or stir it too much and you lose the draw completely, which is the whole point of the dish.
If you have never eaten banku with okro stew, this is the combination Ghanaians will tell you is unbeatable. It was worth every minute standing next to that fire.
🍲 WHAT WENT IN
Banku: corn dough, cassava dough, water, salt
Ga okro stew: fresh okro, palm oil, smoked fish, onion, tomatoes, chilli, salted fish, seasoning
🔥 COOKING BANKU OVER A WOOD FIRE
Mix the corn dough and cassava dough with water until completely smooth with no lumps. Stir constantly with a wooden spatula, pressing the mixture against the side of the pot as it thickens. Keep going for around 20 to 25 minutes until it pulls away cleanly and turns glossy. Shape into balls while hot. On a wood fire, keep the flame low and steady rather than high, because you are managing the fire as much as the dough.
💬 Ga style or the version you grew up on? Tell me how your family makes okro stew.
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