Ghana | Main dish

Banku and Tilapia

Name: Banku and Tilapia
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 plates
Cuisine: Ghana, West Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups fermented corn dough; 1 cup fermented cassava dough; 3 cups water, plus more as needed; 1 tsp salt; 2 whole tilapia, cleaned and scored; 1 tbsp ginger, grated; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 small onion, blended or grated; 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper, minced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; shito or fresh pepper sauce, to serve

A Ghanaian plate of smooth fermented corn and cassava dough served with seasoned grilled tilapia and pepper sauce.

Country

Ghana

Region

West Africa

Time

70 min

Serves

Level

medium

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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Banku is a Ghanaian staple made by cooking fermented corn and cassava dough into a smooth, elastic mound. Paired with grilled tilapia and pepper sauce, it becomes one of Ghana's most recognizable restaurant and roadside plates.

What the dish tastes like

A Ghanaian plate of smooth fermented corn and cassava dough served with seasoned grilled tilapia and pepper sauce.

When to cook it

Best for Best for weekend grilling, coastal-style meals, and Ghanaian restaurant plates., with a medium cooking level and about 70 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Shito, fresh pepper sauce, sliced onion, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Regional lane

Soups, stews, and swallow table. Groundnut, greens, fish, palm oil, and fufu-friendly bowls.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Skipping the resting time after grilling.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The surface should be deeply colored while the center stays juicy.
The bread or batter should smell pleasantly fermented, toasted, or nutty rather than floury.

Pantry lane

shito, palm oil, sorghum leaves, fermented corn dough, groundnut

Chef board

Build the table around Banku and Tilapia

Shito, fresh pepper sauce, sliced onion, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Best route from here

Soups, stews, and swallow table

Collections to keep cooking

Across Africa Showstoppers

Servings 4

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Ingredients

For 4 plates

Main dish

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Ghana

5 steps 70 min total medium

Season the fish

Rub scored tilapia with ginger, garlic, onion, scotch bonnet if using, oil, and salt. Let it sit while you start the banku.

Marinate 15:00

Start the banku

Whisk corn dough, cassava dough, water, and salt in a heavy pot until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Stir banku 15:00

Steam the banku

When the dough thickens, reduce heat, splash in a little water, cover briefly, then stir again until smooth and elastic.

A strong wooden spoon helps. Banku should be smooth, not grainy.

Steam banku 15:00

Grill the tilapia

Grill or broil the tilapia, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred.

Grill fish 25:00

Plate

Shape banku into balls and serve with grilled tilapia, shito or pepper sauce, and sliced vegetables.

Banku may be served with okra stew, soup, pepper sauce, grilled fish, or fried fish. The tilapia seasoning varies by cook.

Banku and Tilapia

What to know before you cook

Build the table around Banku and Tilapia

Why Banku and Tilapia gets people talking

Step-by-step method

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Ga Kenkey with Fried Fish

Groundnut Soup