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Banku and grilled tilapia
Banku ne tilapia: Accra's charcoal-grilled tilapia with sour corn banku and raw pepper
Night falls in Accra and the smoke rises from Osu to Labadi: whole tilapia, slashed and rubbed with ginger, garlic and chilli, crackles over charcoal at roadside grills and beach spots, served with a ball of banku, a heap of raw pepper sauce and sliced onions. Banku is a smooth, stretchy dough of fermented corn and cassava, slightly sour, cooked and beaten in a pot until it pulls away from the sides. Together they make a messy, joyful meal eaten with the fingers: smoky fish, tangy banku and a sauce hot enough to make your eyes water. Corn and cassava dough are sold in African shops, often as banku mix. The commonest mistake is turning the fish too soon; leave it until it releases cleanly from the grill. Chef's tip: marinate the fish in the fridge, not on the counter, and oil the grill and the fish well, because skin sticking to the bars is the most common way to lose a whole tilapia.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 4 whole tilapiaabout 400 g each, gutted and scaled
- 1 onionroughly chopped
- 1 oz fresh gingerpeeled
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oilplus extra for the grill
For the banku
- 1 ⅛ lb fermented corn doughor banku mix; see note in step 5
- 9 oz cassava doughor 150 g cassava flour mixed with water
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
For the fresh pepper
- ½ onion
- 2 Scotch bonnet chilliesor 4 for a fierce sauce
- ½ tsp salt
To serve
- 1 red onion (optional)thinly sliced
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What you'll need
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Rinse 4 whole tilapia and pat dry. Cut 3 deep diagonal slashes to the bone on each side.
Step 2: Blend 1 onion, 1 oz fresh ginger, 4 garlic cloves, 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, 1 ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp vegetable oil to a rough paste. Rub it all over the fish, inside the cavity and into the slashes.
Step 3: Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours. Light the charcoal grill (or heat the oven grill to high) about 30 minutes before cooking.
30 minStep 4: For the pepper, grind 3 ripe tomatoes, ½ onion, 2 Scotch bonnet chillies and ½ tsp salt in a mortar or pulse in a blender to a coarse, juicy sauce. Set aside.
Step 5: For the banku, mix 1 ⅛ lb fermented corn dough, 9 oz cassava dough, 1 tsp salt and 2 ½ cups water in a heavy pot until completely smooth, with no lumps. If you only have fine cornmeal, a little lime juice gives some of the sourness of fermented dough.
Step 6: Cook over a medium heat, stirring hard and constantly with a strong wooden spatula. It will thicken quickly; keep turning and pressing the dough against the side of the pot.
10 minStep 7: Lower the heat, add a splash of water if it is very stiff, cover and leave 3 minutes, then beat again. Repeat until the banku is smooth, stretchy, glossy and pulls cleanly from the pot.
10 minStep 8: Wet a small bowl, scoop in a portion, and swirl it to shape into a smooth ball. Wrap each ball in cling film or foil to keep warm.
Step 9: Oil the grill bars and the fish well. Grill over medium-hot coals without moving for the first 6–8 minutes, until the skin is charred and releases easily, then turn carefully with two spatulas.
8 minStep 10: Grill the second side until the flesh at the thickest point near the bone is opaque and flakes easily with a fork (145°F on a thermometer).
8 minStep 11: Serve each fish with a ball of banku, a generous spoonful of fresh pepper and 1 red onion.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does banku and grilled tilapia take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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