Zeenat has always had a passion for food, dating back to her childhood in the Western region of Ghana. Her Nigerian heritage is also tied to this passion – after her great-grandparents moved from Nigeria to Ghana 200 years ago.
She inherited her passion for cooking from her mother, and she learned it from her mother.
But in fact, it was a cooking class at school where she learned to make kakro – a ripe banana, flour and spices fried into balls.
This is because in Ghana, schools combine the academic subjects you study with skills such as crafts, cooking and other things. This ingenuity is one thing he particularly admires about his home country.
Whenever I cook kakro according to the fried yam recipe, I wear the bracelet. It is a string of beads made of coral – a traditional stone found in Africa.
It is intended for members of the royal family and members of the royal clan and is given when you become king, queen, princess or chieftain. I chose to wear it because I come from a royal clan.
It is a symbol of my Ghanaian culture and it makes me feel connected to my ancestors.
What do you need to make kakro
- 6 plantains, ripe (black)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 120g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 2L vegetable oil for frying
When I was a child, I loved making kakro. It is very easy to put together, easy to pick up, light and very filling.
I have been cooking since I was seven years old, but the first time I made this recipe myself was when I was around 9-10 years old. Every week I received some pocket money, so I used that money to buy bananas at the market.
When my mother worked in the store, my younger sister accompanied me. I crushed it with my hands in the oil I had at home. I felt excited because it was something I had never done on my own before.
I still did it because I love plantain (I would eat it in my sleep if I could!)
But since then I've improved the recipe a bit myself. In the past, my mother simply mashed bananas, seasoned them with a little salt and fried them. I decided to enrich my aroma by adding oregano and sage.
How to make kakro
- Cut the plantains lengthwise and peel them. Roughly cut them into cubes.
- Place in a bowl and mash with a potato masher until a very smooth paste forms. Alternatively, you can use a food processor.
- Add flour and mix until you have a smooth dough/sticky dough.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan and prepare it for frying.
- Using your hand or a few spoons, form balls – slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball – and drop them into the hot oil. Be careful not to overfill the pan.
- Fry for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Place on a plate covered with a kitchen towel to absorb excess fat.
- Add oregano, sage and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Serve with Zeenat's famous Shito sauce for a delicious snack!
Kakro can be combined with potatoes, but I prefer yam because that's what we usually eat.
My recipe uses special shito sauces (a collection of Ghanaian spices) – there are even versions that can be prepared for vegans or vegetarians, or ones that are much spicier.
I prepare the dish at different times – breakfast, lunch or dinner. I actually like it best with oatmeal, tea or coffee on the side.
My love of cooking has stayed with me throughout my life – even when I left Ghana many years ago, got married in Nigeria and came to the UK a few years later. Cooking also helped me find a job and establish myself in food sales.
I love teaching people to cook my recipes because I feel like I'm sharing my culture with the world. I talk about my country, my connection to it and why I love the food I make.
But the best part of sharing food with the world is hearing how delicious it is.
Zeenat's shito sauces can be purchased or tried through her Instagram here. She is currently completing a Teaching Migrant course, but you can enjoy learning about a variety of cuisines and cultures from over 40 of the charity's chefs, taking place in London, Bristol and online for both public and private groups.
Main photo credit: Fede Rivas
This article was first published on October 14, 2022.
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