Ghana Month: How to prepare the most sought-after Ewe food  ‘Akple’ and ‘Fetri detsi’

Food is often used as a symbol to identify one’s origin.

In Ghana, there are five vibrant ethnic groups the Akan, Ewe, Ga-Adangbe, Mole-Dagbani, and the Guan. Each of these ethnic groups has its own staple food that can be served at any event.

The Ghana Report’s special edition will today focus on how to prepare the sumptuous Ewe staple food, ‘Akple’ and ‘Fetri detsi’ which is also loved by other tribes like Ga- Adangbe and the Mole-Dangbani people.

‘Akple’ is the name of the food and it’s often prepared by using well-ground corn. The ‘Fetri detsi’ means an okra soup.

Below are the processes of preparing the ‘Akple’

• Pour about 2/3 cup of water into a cooking pot and mix it with a little bit of the corn flour
• Put it on fire and wait for it to boil
• Use a cup to fetch part of the boiling water into a separate utensil.
• You then pour your corn flour into the hot water on the fire based on the quantity of water in the cooking pot.
• Use the sizeable wooden spatula to then steer it vigorously to prevent any lumps.
• When the ‘Akple’ becomes hard on the fire, you can decide to add part of the hot water to it to make it very soft for your taste.
• You then cover the cooking pot containing the ‘Akple’ with a lid for about 2 minutes.
• Continue to steer the ‘Akple’ for about another 2-3 minutes and your food becomes ready for consumption.
• It is advised to put the ‘Akple’ in any earthenware bowl or ceramic bowl, and an aluminium bowl.

Below are the processes of preparing the ‘Fetri detsi’- Okro soup

• You must first get your fresh okra.
• Wash it thoroughly, about three times before using it.
• After that cut off the head of the okra and use a knife to slice the okra into smaller parts.
• Put the sliced okra into a cooking utensil and add some water depending on the quantity of the okra.
• Let the okra boil for some time and then add ground pepper, either green or red hot pepper.
• Steer the okra soup slowly to mix the ground pepper in it.
• When preparing okra soup, you must start with the hard meat so that it can become soft when the soup is ready.
• One can use any other type of fish for the soup but don’t forget to add a bit of crab, dry fish, and cattle hide known as ‘wele’ to get a sumptuous taste.
• After adding your cooking spices, and everything, you can decide to add red oil to the okra soup. Always remember it’s optional.
• When preparing okra soup, avoid covering it often with a lid, otherwise, the sliminess of the okra will cut off.

NB: One can decide to add ‘Ademe’ literally known as Jute Mallow leaves to the okra to make it more palatable.