Asaana

Ingredients

Corn liquor

• 500 gdried white maize kernels
• 3 litreswater

To finish

• 300 gsugar, for caramelising
• 100 gsugar, to sweeten
• a pinch of salt
• 2 cloves(optional)

To serve

• ice
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Rinse the maize and soak it in the water in a clean covered container for 2–3 days at room temperature. It will begin to smell sour and slightly yeasty, which is the fermentation you want.
2. If it smells putrid, slimy or mouldy rather than sharply sour, discard it and start again with a scrupulously clean container. A good ferment smells like sourdough.
3. Strain the liquid off through a cloth and keep it. Reserve the maize for another use or discard it; the drink is made from the soaking liquor.
4. Boil the strained liquor for 15 minutes, skimming the froth, then strain again through a fine cloth. Set aside.
5. Now caramelise: put the 300 g of sugar in a dry heavy pan over medium heat and let it melt without stirring, swirling the pan, until it turns a deep mahogany brown and begins to smoke faintly. Take it further than feels comfortable — this dark, almost-burnt caramel is what gives asaana its colour and bitter edge.
6. Stand back and pour in about 250 ml of the hot corn liquor. It will erupt violently in steam, so pour slowly and keep your hands clear.
7. Stir until the caramel dissolves, then combine with the rest of the liquor, add the remaining sugar, salt and cloves, and simmer 10 minutes.
8. Cool completely, then chill. Serve very cold over ice with a wedge of lime. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• The caramel must be dark. A pale caramel gives sweet corn water rather than asaana, which should be almost bitter behind the sweetness.
• Pour the hot liquid into the caramel slowly and at arm’s length; molten sugar is far hotter than boiling water and spits fiercely.
• Ferment at room temperature in a clean covered container, and use your nose. Sour is right, putrid is not.

Substitutions

• Fermented corn dough (ogi or akamu), thinned with water, can replace the soaking stage.
• Dark muscovado adds colour but not the burnt note; the caramel step cannot be skipped.

Variations

• Served warm in cool weather rather than iced.
• A version spiced with ginger and cloves during the simmer.

History

A Ga and Akan street drink made by caramelising sugar into fermented corn liquor; sold from roadside coolers in Accra and Kumasi.

Frequently asked questions

What is Asaana?

Asaana is a drink from Ghana: dark caramel-sweet drink of roasted fermented maize, served over ice. A Ga and Akan street drink made by caramelising sugar into fermented corn liquor; sold from roadside coolers in Accra and Kumasi.

How long does Asaana take to make?

Asaana takes 20 min plus 3 days fermenting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Asaana?

Yes, within limits. Fermented corn dough (ogi or akamu), thinned with water, can replace the soaking stage. Dark muscovado adds colour but not the burnt note; the caramel step cannot be skipped.

What is the most important thing to get right in Asaana?

If it smells putrid, slimy or mouldy rather than sharply sour, discard it and start again with a scrupulously clean container. A good ferment smells like sourdough.