Nigeria - Gari Foto

Background
This recipe from the cookbook A Taste of Africa by Dorinda Hafner. It is an excellent book that provides a survey of the major cuisines of Africa. Unfortunately Kitty was unable to find a good cookbook at our local libraries; I found this one in a university library that does not let you check out books. It seems to be out of print but a few copies are available on Amazon.com.

The major ingredient in the dish is foto which is a staple in West Africa. This dish is eaten for breakfast or as a side dish in a dinner. Foto is a coarse cassava powder, which we found in the Brazilian section of a regular supermarket labeled coarse manioc flour. (This product goes under many names.) We also made some fried plantains.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of foto
• 1 tsp salt, dissolved in 2 cups of water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions
• 2 red chilis
• 1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 egg, scrambled in a little oil
• lettuce leaves
• sliced fresh tomatoes

Procedure

1. Soak the foto in the salted water for 10 to 15 minutes. You may need more or less liquid depending on the humidity.
2. Finely chop the onions and chilies.
3. Heat oil in a deep saute pan and cook the onions and chilies until the onions begin to brown.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste, 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper to taste and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes.
6. Fluff the foto, then add to the pan, along with the egg, and mix.
7. Serve on lettuce leaves garnished with sliced tomatoes.

Fried Plantain

• Peel and slice one plantain.
• Fill a pot with enough oil such that the plantains will not touch the bottom.
• Heat the oil.
• Put plantain slices into the oil and cook until the are golden.
• Remove from oil and place on paper towel to drain.

Results and Discussion
This breakfast was a great success. The foto has a very thick texture that makes it easy to eat with your hands. The tomatoes provide a nice sweetness and the chilies add a nice spice. The plantains are simple to make and have a very nice texture. Despite have many ingredients going at once this dish is very simple and fast. I think we will encounter foto again as we revisit west Africa and I look forward to the many variations.