Ingredients
Gari foto
- 300 ggari (toasted cassava granules)
- 150 mlwarm water
- 4 tbspred palm oil
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 2tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsptomato purée
- 1Scotch bonnet, minced
- 4eggs, beaten
- salt
To serve
- fried ripe plantain
- avocado, sliced
- sardines or fried fish (optional)
Directions
- Sprinkle the warm water over the gari a little at a time, turning it with a fork, until every granule is damp and swollen but none are sitting in liquid. Leave 10 minutes. This is the whole trick of gari: too much water and it turns to paste, too little and it stays gritty.
- Warm the palm oil gently — it should melt and turn bright, not smoke.
- Fry the onion until soft, add the tomato purée and cook two minutes until it darkens, then the tomatoes and chilli, and cook down to a thick sauce.
- Push the sauce to one side, pour the beaten egg into the space, let it set for a moment, then scramble it and fold it through.
- Add the soaked gari and turn it through the sauce over a low heat until it is evenly coloured and heated through — three or four minutes, no more.
- Season and serve hot with fried plantain and avocado.
Technique
- Gari is already cooked. Everything after the soaking is warming and coating it; cook it hard and it goes claggy.
- Red palm oil is not interchangeable with other oils here — its colour and earthy flavour are half the dish. Warm it, never let it smoke, which turns it acrid.
- The granules should still have a little bite. Gari that has gone completely soft has had too much water.
Substitutions
- Groundnut or sunflower oil if palm oil cannot be found, accepting that the result is paler and milder.
- Smoked fish flaked through in place of the eggs is the common variation.
Variations
- Plain gari soaked in cold water with sugar, groundnuts and ice is drunk as garium sulphate across Nigeria and Benin — a different use of the same granules.
- Sprinkled dry over beans it becomes red red’s partner in Ghana; stirred into hot water it makes eba, the stiff swallow eaten with soup.
History
Cassava came from Brazil with Portuguese traders; Beninese processors grate, press and roast the root into granules that keep for months without refrigeration.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gari?
Gari is a salad & side from Benin: toasted cassava granules soaked in water or sprinkled over beans. Cassava came from Brazil with Portuguese traders; Beninese processors grate, press and roast the root into granules that keep for months without refrigeration.
How long does Gari take to make?
Gari takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Gari?
Yes, within limits. Groundnut or sunflower oil if palm oil cannot be found, accepting that the result is paler and milder. Smoked fish flaked through in place of the eggs is the common variation.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gari?
Sprinkle the warm water over the gari a little at a time, turning it with a fork, until every granule is damp and swollen but none are sitting in liquid. Leave 10 minutes. This is the whole trick of gari: too much water and it turns to paste, too little and it stays gritty.
