Ga Kenkey with Pepper Sauce and Fried Sardines
Tangy fermented maize dumplings steamed in husks, served the Ghanaian way with a fresh hot pepper sauce and crisp fried sardines.
- Time2 days plus 2 hr
- LevelHard
- Costabout £1.33 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- 576kcal
- 72.8gcarbs
- 7.5gof which sugars
- 16.8gfat
- 4.3gsaturates
- 34.7gprotein
- 7.2gfibre
- 2.0gsalt
A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.
Ingredients
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Method
- 1
Day one: mix the maize meal with the 300 ml lukewarm water to make a stiff, thick dough. Cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 2 days. It is ready when it smells pleasantly sour and tangy and looks slightly puffed and bubbly.
- 2
Day three: scoop out 150 g of the fermented dough and whisk it in a pan with the 300 ml water. Cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time, for 8 minutes until it forms a thick, shiny paste. Cool for 10 minutes.
8 min - 3
Knead the cooked paste back into the rest of the dough along with the salt until smooth and firm. Divide into 6 and shape each into a smooth oval, about 9 cm long.
- 4
Wrap each piece in 1 or 2 soaked husks, or in parchment and then foil, folding the ends in tightly and tying with string if needed so no water gets in.
- 5
Lower the parcels into a large pan of boiling water so they are covered. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, topping up with boiling water as needed. The kenkey should feel firm all over.
60 min - 6
Meanwhile, blitz the tomatoes, onion, chilli and ginger to a coarse puree. Cook in 1 tablespoon of the oil for 15 minutes until thick and the oil shows at the edges. Season with salt.
- 7
Rub the sardines with the fish salt. Fry in the remaining oil over a medium high heat for 4 minutes on each side until crisp.
8 min - 8
Unwrap the kenkey and serve warm with the pepper sauce and the fried sardines.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
