Katheryn Kangas

An asanka of yam fufu with our light soup, served for mommy. My daughter,  Kata has grown so fond of eating #fufuo lately. So this is my easy breezy, lazy day go to recipe I depend on. It is so simple to make and requires not much ingredients. Soups/stocks are a main in our Ghanaian cuisine and every household in Ghana can proudly boast of its own unique recipe. Here is mine and I hope you enjoy it as much my daughter does. All you need. 700g Chicken parts or any preferred meat of choice 2 large fresh tomatoes 2 garlic cloves 2 inch fresh ginger about the thumb size 2 chicken stock cube ( knorr or maggi ) or use some fresh herbs like rosemary, basil and coriander. 1 big red onion' Salt to taste Make It Prepare chicken by washing and place in a sizable soup saucepan, capacity of around 2 liters. Add in rest of ingredients and about 2 cups of water. Add salt, cover and allow to boil for 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove tomatoes, ginger, garlic and onion. B...

Ghana is a beautifully diverse country with so many potential for a better economic growth. As a Ghanaian, going home after 6 years of migration in Finland was a much anticipated one for the whole family, especially my two young children. Amid mixed feelings of how Ghana has changed and developed, my family and I were excited or better say over the moon with thoughts of eating everything Ghanaian during our stay. Ampesi; boiled plantain or cocoyam served with palava sauce During our stay, we could not do much sight seeing with three children towing behind us always but that never stopped us from eating out, never lol. The children for some weird and fortunate reasons just loved to eat out. They loved the ambiance of sitting outside some sheltered area with music playing or sitting by the ocean and watching the big waves come in. My Finnish husband will happily sip away his favorite chilled Ghanaian club beer and not be bothered with the heat for a while ;). I must confess here t...

Well let me say for a fact that, marrying in Ghana is extremely EXPENSIVE. How do I even start this? Let me start off by saying a huge thank you to God for seeing us through it all. My second heart felt thanks to my sweet sisters(Mavis, Rita and Linda who also hosted us in Ghana) and brothers(Kweku, Frank and Isaac who also hand made all my Ghanaian beads) for always being there for me. The third charm thanks goes to my food mentor, friend, confidant, trusted buddy, Fiona Koranteng . Fourthly, to my step father who has the calm of a whale and by so helping me stay calm through out the stressful periods. Fifth and last to my paternal family and maternal family for making time, under so short a notice, to grace our traditional marriage.  Okay, in order not point fingers at anyone/institution/social media craze for how expensive our marriage process has become; I will tell you about how we survived our 'affordale' engagement (Ghanaian  traditional marriage) as brief as...

This is my own very basic recipe and cooks in 10 -60 minutes depending on the quantity of the stew. It's best served with boiled plantain, yam or rice.  All you need(stew for two persons) 1/2 cup of oil 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes 2 tablespoon tomato paste 1 small onion 1 inch size fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves 3 medium sized fresh tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon each white pepper, ground nutmeg and #MLcomplementspice Salt 1-2 eggs 1 canned sardines in oil How to make it Add oil to a pan over medium heat, add tomato paste, chili flakes and fry for a minute or two stiring continuously. Blend tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlics into a smooth paste and add to pan. Stir to combine and add in spices. You can use dried rosemary, aniseed and cumin in absence of #MLcomplementspice Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the oil from the sardines to the stew then the egg/eggs. Carefully break apart and allow to simmer for a minute or two. Add Sardines, check f...

The secret to the most delicious soup is always the spice. For me, as usual it's my #GhanaSpice blend. Cloves and ginger play an important role in Ghanaian cuisine. They add amazing taste to meals and their health benefits are what makes me love these spices more. To make this soup, you simply throw the ingredients together, boil and then blend. That simple and perfect for the winter nights. If you are not a fan of beets, challenge yourself and try this recipe and you might change your mind. All you Need: Serves 2 1 tablespoon of butter (20g) 1 small onion 2 inch size fresh ginger (size of the thumb) 2 teaspoon of #MLcomplementspice (or cloves, rosemary and aniseed) 3 medium sized beetroots Salt to taste How to make it: Add butter to a saucepan to melt. Add in chopped onions, ginger and spices. Fry for about 2 minutes stiring occasionally. This adds some smoky taste from the spice. Next peel and cut up beetroot into small sizes to help cooking time. Add warm wate...

If you want to add varieties to your meals, then this is a must try. It's as basic as adding Ghanaian spiced chili paste (I used dried spices for this one), to the yellow plantain and blanched french beans together in a hot coconut oiled pan. Stir fry until plantain are golden on most sides and done; food is ready. All you need: 20 fingers French beans(fresh) 1 big size Yellow plantain 2 tablespoon of coconut oil 1 tspn each of chili flakes, ginger powder, onion powder, garlic powder and powdered cloves. How to make it: Wash, cut the ends of the beans off and cover with hot water in a bowl for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile peel and slice plantain into cubes or half moon shapes. Add coconut oil to pan over medium heat. Add in plantain when oil is hot enough. Seive off beans and to pan. Season with the spice blend and salt to taste. Keep frying and stiring occasionally until plantains are cooked and golden brown in colour; about 10-15 minutes depending on the sizes. I didn...

If you want to try Finnish foods, here's of the most loved soup in most homes. Interestingly, I had this soup when I was in Ghana as prepared by their now husband . Interestingly, this was the soup that initiated our relationship (will tell the story some other time ); so for our #Suomi100 independence day celebrations today, 6th of December, we decided to have some thing as traditional and special to us like this cold smoked salmon soup. Hubby talked me trough preparing this soup (his recipe) and our special independence day lunch was just perfect. Here's a surprising simple and delicious reacipe for you to try. All you Need (Serves 4persons) Oil 1 small onion 2 garlic cloves 1 handful of sliced leeks 1 bay leaf 5 black peppercorns 1 vegetables stock cube 1 tspn ground black pepper 1 tspn white pepper 1 tspn dried dill 1 tspn salt 2-3 carrots 4-5 medium sized potatoes 200g cold smoked salmon 1dl cream ( optional and I used whipping cream) Salt to ...