Ghanaian Banku with Grilled Tilapia and Pepper Sauce

About This Recipe

Ghanaian Banku with Grilled Tilapia and Pepper Sauce is a real, traditional Ghanaian dish. Fermented corn and cassava dough cooked into a smooth, tangy dumpling, served with whole grilled tilapia and a fiery pepper sauce.\n\nBanku is made from a fermented mixture of corn and cassava dough, a traditional preservation and flavor-development technique across coastal Ghana, and it's classically paired with grilled fish given the country's strong coastal fishing culture.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Ghanaian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gfermented corn dough (or cornmeal fermented for 2-3 days)
• 200 gfermented cassava dough (or cassava flour, similarly fermented)
• 500 mlwater
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 4whole tilapia(cleaned and scaled)
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 1 tspground ginger
• 1 tspfine sea salt(for fish)
• 4tomatoes(blended, for pepper sauce)
• 2scotch bonnet peppers(blended, for pepper sauce)
• 1onion(diced, for pepper sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the banku

   Combine fermented corn dough, cassava dough and water in a heavy pot, and cook over medium heat, stirring vigorously and constantly with a wooden spoon or banku turner, for 20 to 25 minutes until it becomes smooth, thick and stretchy.

2. 2

   Shape

   Shape the cooked banku into smooth balls using a wet spoon or wet hands, and set aside.

3. 3

   Season the fish

   Score the tilapia and rub with oil, ginger and salt.

4. 4

   Grill the fish

   Grill the tilapia over medium-high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes per side until charred and cooked through.

5. 5

   Make the pepper sauce

   Simmer the blended tomatoes, scotch bonnets and diced onion in a splash of oil for 15 minutes until thickened into a fiery, chunky sauce.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve the banku alongside the grilled tilapia and pepper sauce.

Variations

• •

  Serve with okra stew instead of pepper sauce for a different traditional pairing.

• •

  Use a different firm white fish if tilapia isn't available.

• •

  Some households add a bit of ground crayfish to the pepper sauce for extra umami.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions