Ingredients
Base
- 100 gdried hibiscus calyces, sobolo or bissap
- 2 litreswater
Aromatics
- 100 gfresh ginger, sliced
- 1 stickcinnamon
- 6cloves
- 4pods cardamom
- a few grains of grains of paradise, optional
- 2 stalkslemongrass, optional
Fruit
- the peel and core of 1 pineapple
- or 300 ml pineapple juice
- 1orange, sliced
To sweeten
- sugar or honey, to taste
To serve
- very cold, over ice
- in bags at roadside stalls
Directions
- Rinse the dried calyces in cold water and pick out any stalks or grit. Rinse them, because they are dried in the open and there is usually some debris. Now the pineapple, and this is where Ghanaian cooks use what would otherwise be thrown away.
- Keep the peel and the core of a pineapple and boil them with the hibiscus. Wash the peel thoroughly first. Bring the water to a boil with the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and pineapple trimmings.
- Slice the ginger rather than grating it, so it is easy to strain out, and use far more than seems reasonable.
- Simmer the aromatics for 10 minutes before the hibiscus goes in. Now add the hibiscus and take the pan off the heat. Cover it and let it steep for 20 to 30 minutes as it cools.
- Press them lightly rather than wringing them out, for the same reason. Sweeten while it is still warm, so the sugar dissolves properly. Taste as you go. Hibiscus is genuinely sour and it needs a good deal of sugar, but it should stay tart rather than becoming syrup.
- Add pineapple juice at this stage if you are using it rather than the trimmings. Add the juice after brewing rather than boiling it, which keeps it fresh-tasting.
- Cool it completely and chill it thoroughly. It should be served genuinely cold, and it is much better after a night in the fridge as the spices settle. Serve it over ice with a slice of orange. It is drunk with jollof, with kelewele, and simply as a cold drink in the heat.
Technique
- Dried hibiscus is sold in African, Caribbean and Latin American shops.
- Bissap, karkadé and agua de jamaica are the same plant prepared elsewhere.
- It is naturally deep red and no colouring is needed.
Substitutions
- Any dried hibiscus, and Egyptian karkadé works well.
- Pineapple juice in place of fresh trimmings.
Variations
- With lemongrass and mint.
- With cloves and orange peel, in the Sahelian style.
- Made stronger and served as a concentrate.
History
Brewed from dried hibiscus calyces grown in northern Ghana and the Sahel, the same plant sold as bissap in francophone West Africa.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sobolo?
Sobolo is a drink from Ghana: hibiscus drink brewed with ginger and pineapple. Brewed from dried hibiscus calyces grown in northern Ghana and the Sahel, the same plant sold as bissap in francophone West Africa.
How long does Sobolo take to make?
Sobolo takes 15 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Sobolo?
Yes, within limits. Any dried hibiscus, and Egyptian karkadé works well. Pineapple juice in place of fresh trimmings.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sobolo?
Rinse the dried calyces in cold water and pick out any stalks or grit. Rinse them, because they are dried in the open and there is usually some debris. Now the pineapple, and this is where Ghanaian cooks use what would otherwise be thrown away.
