Kwame Boateng
@kwame-firepot
Ghanaian-American guy learning to recreate my mom's groundnut soup and jollof without calling her every time. Currently obsessed with getting smoky flavor on a stovetop.
4 recipes
Reviews (49)
Prepped the sauce on Sunday thinking it'd be a good make-ahead base, and honestly the tomatoes went kind of dull and flat after a couple days in the fridge — lost that bright sweet-and-sour pop that makes the dish. The beef also reheated a bit rubbery even with a splash of water. Better fresh, or at most one day ahead.
Oct 24, 2026
First time cooking with sand ginger and honestly I didn't know what I was missing — it smells nothing like regular ginger, more warm and almost camphory. What surprised me most was frying the scallions first and pulling them out; that scallion oil base made the whole dish taste like it simmered for hours. My sauce reduced glossy in maybe five minutes on high heat. Mom would approve, and that's the bar.
Oct 24, 2026
Rendered pork fat and fish in one wok — this is the smoky depth I've been chasing all year.
Oct 24, 2026
Marinated the collars the night before like I'd do with fish for Sunday jollof and the lime-wine soak went deep into those cuts. The foam doesn't keep, so I whipped a fresh batch the next day for the leftovers and it tasted like round two of a brand-new meal. Honestly, flaked over the last of it with some pepper sauce and I almost preferred day two.
Oct 23, 2026
Timing tip: have everything shredded and your sauce mixed before the wok gets hot, because once that pork goes in you've got about two minutes of cooking and no time to chop. Medium-high heat, not full blast, or the garlic goes bitter before the carrots soften. Leftovers held up fine in the fridge for two days, just add a splash of water when reheating.
Oct 23, 2026
The sweet potato starch marinade is the real trick here — let the beef sit in it a solid 15 minutes so it goes silky instead of starchy. Keep the heat at a steady medium when the tomatoes break down; crank it and the tang mellows out too much. The soup reheats fine next day, but add the cilantro fresh or it goes dull.
Oct 22, 2026
I made this for my sister and two friends on a random Friday and it disappeared before the jollof even hit the table. Served it straight out of the skillet with toothpicks, barbecue-stand style, and everyone kept picking at it while I finished the rest of dinner. My sister asked twice if there was more, and one friend screenshot the recipe on the spot. The toasted sesame seeds on top made it look way more effortful than it was.
Oct 21, 2026
That caramelized rock sugar step is the whole ballgame — worth every minute of the three hours.
Oct 21, 2026