The only thing that will make me love you more...

Some people will read my title and say, "What is she talking about?". Well don't worry at all, I will explain myself in a second. This thing that I am talking about is my best friend, my brother, my sister, and it is something I grew up with when I was living in Ghana with my family. This particular thing is what my mother uses to make me happy when I'm sad. But what you guys don't know is that, this thing is not human or an animal. It is my favorite Ghanaian food called Banku and Okro stew.


My mother's way of making banku and okro stew is the best way. She knows exactly how I want my okro stew and what I want her to put in it. Just like how I can be very picky with my smoothies, my banku and okro stew have to be perfect. I don't eat this food anywhere else apart from my house. I do not allow anybody else to make it except for my lovely mother. When I am feeling emotional, my sweet mother cooks my favorite food just for me.


                          

Let me give you guys some facts about my favorite food. Okro itself rested firmly in the bottom of mother Africa, but not anymore. Okra originated from Nigerian Igbo word Okuru. And banku is the starchy side dish that is eaten with the okro by the Ghanaians. In different parts of Africa, people eat the okro stew with something different from banku but it is a bit similar. In Kenya and parts of Eastern and Central Africa, the starchy side is Ugali, a maize-based side similar to polenta. In Zambia and part of Southern Africa, there is nshima. In Benin and Togo there is pate (pronounced as "pat"). In Ghana there is one and only banku. All these foods share the common element of near tastelessness.

Now that I am not back home anymore, I crave for this food every single day of my life. My sweet mother is not with me anymore so there's no one else to prepare it the same way she does. I always like my okro stew with shrimp. I never eat mine with any thing else but shrimp.To learn how to cook banku and okro stew, it is very simple. Lets begin with the Okro stew:

Okro Stew:
1 pound of Shrimp
1 pound okro (Note: Ghanaians call okra "okro")
2 cloves garlic
3 medium tomatoes
1 large onion
2 chili peppers
3 garden eggs
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup palm oil
2 cubes of maggi
And salt

Banku:
2 cups of water
1 portion cassava dough
2 portion corn dough
And salt

The last thing I am about to talk about is the most important thing that all Africans know when they are eating banku and okro stew. Okay first you might think it wierd or unnecessary but it's the truth and nothing can change that. While you were reading about my favorite food, did you wonder how the food is actually eaten? Well there is a special way this food is eaten by the Africans or non Africans who have had it before. We do not use a spoon, fork or knife. These things are not needed. We actually use or hands to eat this food. Africans in general, mostly use their hands to eat almost everything...