Ghanaian Volta Tilapia Stew - Ethnic Foods R Us

This Ghanaian Volta Tilapia Stew recipe comes straight from my wife, her own version of a nationally popular stew. My wife is a native Ghanaian, who is from the Volta Region. It is one of my absolute favorite dishes to come out of Ghana. I hope you and your family and friends will enjoy Ghanaian Volta Tilapia Stew as much as I do!

(Photo Attributed to Author: sshreeves)

Ghanaian Volta Tilapia Stew Recipe-

Ingredients:

For the Spicy Blended Mixture:

6 fresh Scotch Bonnet chili peppers (you can also use dried peppers, rehydrated)
1 medium sized red onion, peeled and rough chopped
6-8 large cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
1″ length of fresh ginger root, peeled and rough chopped
10 Roma Plum tomatoes, cored and quartered

For the Main Stew:

3 large fresh tilapia fish, scaled, gutted, cleaned, and chopped into thirds (you can also use tilapia fillets, but follow alternate direction for how long to cook them in the stew, below)
2 oz. dried ground shrimp
2 Maggi cubes, crushed
8 garden eggs (you can substitute baby aubergines, but for authenticity garden eggs are essential)
8-10 whole Scotch Bonnet chili peppers, fresh or dried and rehydrated
3 oz. sun-dried tomato paste or garlic tomato paste
water
Salt, to taste
1 small onion, or ½ large onion, peeled and rough sliced
Vegetable oil – 3-4 tbsp.

Directions:

Place all of the spicy blend ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until you have a smooth puree.
Heat the oil over medium high flame in a large cooking pot, and sauté the onions until translucent and fragrant.
Add and stir in the tomato paste.
Add the spicy blended mixture, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add and stir in the water, enough to make either a soupy mixture, or less for a thicker stew.
Add and stir in the powdered shrimp.
Add and stir in the garden eggs and whole peppers.
Add and stir in the Maggi cubes and salt, and boil for 5 minutes.
Add in the tilapia and boil for 15 minutes; If you are using fillets, cook for just 10 more minutes.
Do a taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary.
As with all Ghanaian soups and stews, serve your Ghanaian Volta Tilapia Stew with either banku, fufu, or kenkye. The stew will keep for several days in the refrigerator, and indefinitely in the freezer in tightly sealed containers.