Ghanaian Chicken and Palm Fruit Stew (Abenkwan)
A rich Ghanaian stew with tender chicken, palm fruit concentrate, tomatoes, ginger and hot pepper, with red oil rising to the surface of the thick sauce.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs1000 g
- palm fruit concentrate400 g
- onion4 pcs
- garlic4 cloves
- fresh ginger30 g
- tomato400 g
- Scotch bonnet pepper2 pcs
- vegetable oil4 tbsp
- okra8 pcs
- water1000 ml
- salt1 tsp
Instructions
Cut the chicken thighs into large pieces. In a blender, purée 2 onions, garlic, ginger and 1 Scotch bonnet pepper into a smooth paste.
Transfer the chicken to a pot, add half the onion-ginger paste, 200 g palm fruit concentrate, 500 ml water and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend the tomatoes, the remaining onion and the second Scotch bonnet pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a wide skillet, add the remaining palm fruit concentrate and fry until golden.
Pour the tomato-pepper mixture and 500 ml water into the skillet. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens slightly and the oil starts to rise to the surface.
Pour the tomato-palm sauce into the pot with the chicken. Drain off most of the liquid if there's too much, but keep the stew fairly thin, like a thick soup.
Add the prepared okra, cover the pot and simmer for another 15 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and the okra is tender.
Taste, add the remaining salt if needed, and remove from heat once the sauce has thickened and the glossy red palm oil has gathered on top.
Serve the abenkwan hot as a main dish.
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