Presenting a great dessert made from an unlikely ingredient...!
Through all of my culinary journeys I have come to learn that, "everything is possible", so long you have a strong desire for it to happen...!
As you may now already have established, I love to explore new uses for indigenous Nigerian (West African ) food ingredients. My discoveries do catch me by surprise sometimes, and I get a lot of thrill from the results I am able to achieve.
I have explored the use of Gari in the past, especially making it more nutritious....as it is largely carbohydrate. and not much else. Some of my recipes feature the incorporation of vegetables into the process of making a local dish (eba) using Gari. I have also discovered that due to its grainy texture and crispy dryness, it can be used as a substitute for bread crumbs.... yes! I have effectively used Gari in meatballs, scotch eggs and a variety of other dishes that require a bulking agent. And yes, the results are very impressive. You have to try it out for yourself to experience it.
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| Toasted Gari with added Zobo (Hibiscus flower) Syrup |
My dish today is one of the outcomes of my exploration, slash, experimentation, slash, playing with food.... call it what you may, but its a success and I love it.... You've got to try it.
What you need
- Gari (I prefer the Ijebu Gari variety, because of its naturally sour flavour which works well in this dessert dish) Read a little more about Gari here
- Brown sugar
- Zobo Syrup (Get the recipe here)
- Good quality Vanilla ice-cream
What to do
- You need a good pan which will not readily allow burning or sticking of the gari. Place the pan on a medium heat and pour some gari. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
- Add some sugar and continue to stir. You have to be really patient and careful not to burn the sugar and the gari because burnt sugar will leave a bitter taste. Watch the heat closely, and turn down heat if needs be to regulate it. In effect, you are toasting the gari, to drive out moisture and make it crispy.
- Have a little taste and when you have achieved this, then add some minced, precooked zobo leaves, and also add some zobo syrup, a little at a time, stirring constantly.
- You will notice that the gari will start to clump together similar to what happens with brown sugar. This indicates its ready. Serve with some ice cream..!
