Bambara beans are native to West Africa and in this dish they are usually cooked to a creamy consistency and are typically made slightly sweet and spicy. Bambara beans are hard to come by so I suggest trying with chickpeas, or potentially opting for Ghanaian bean stew with your Tatale instead. Lastly, grain of paradise is just a an aromatic spice that looks like peppercorns with origins in West Africa and notes of cardamom, coriander, citrus, ginger, nutmeg, and juniper. Packing a light, peppery heat. Perhaps, you may substitute grain of paradise with all spice but not necessary.
Tatale and Aboboi (Plantain Pancakes and Bambara Beans)
Tatale and Aboboi is a traditional Ghanaian dish which is made up of two parts, Tatale, the plantain pancake, and Aboboi, stewed bambara beans
Ingredients
Tatale (plantain pancake)
- 5 yellow plantains very ripe
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 small onion
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1-2 Scotch bonnet pepper
- ½ pinch salt
- Vegetable oil for frying
Aboboi (Bambara beans)
- 2 cups dried bambara beans soaked overnight
- 1/2 teaspoon grain of paradise grounded optional
- 3-4 Scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
- 1 medium tomato
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar optional
- Salt as required
- Water as required
Instructions
Tatale (plantain pancake)
- Place onion, ginger, scotch bonnet into blender with 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Add plantain and blend until smooth.
- Pout plantain mixture into bowl, ad salt and flour and mix until well combined.
- In a large frying pan add about 1/4 -1/2 cup of vegetable oil depending on how large and wide your frying pan is. You will be shallow frying. You can use even less oil if you are using non stick pan
- Scoop plantain batter using 1/3-1/2 cup scoop depending on how bit you want your tatale. On medium heat, frying for about 4-5 minutes. Gently flip over and fry on other side till cooked. About 8-10 minutes total in pan.
- If it is starting to burn lower heat and watch carefully
- Drain if necessary on paper towel and serve with beans.
Aboboi (Bambara beans)
- Wash beans really well, picking any out with dark marks on it, this is gross but those are likely insect burrowed inside. Soak overnight and the next day fill a large saucepan with beans and water.
- Bring to boil and lower heat to just above simmer. Cook beans until almost ready, about 45 min.
- When beans require about 20 more minutes of cooking, add tomato (whole) and pepper whole with stems removed to the beans. Cover and steam.
- When beans are tender, take out steamed tomato (it may have disintegrated a bit) and whole peppers. Place in blender along with grated fresh ginger. Add up to 1/4 cup of water to help blend.
- Use a sieve to strain the contents of the blender into beans (you want thespicy tomato juices in your beans). Discard pulp.
- Add your grain of paradise if using, add paprika.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently to enable the liquid thicken and become creamy. You can also use your saddle to mash some of the beans to add starch to the liquid and help thicken the beans. Season with salt to taste and add sugar if using.
