Maria's Gari Kanyah

Gari Kanyah is a simple snacks/ street food made with fermented cassava granular (Gari) , Peanuts and sugar. Its the Sierra Leonean version of a tray bake. It's naturally gluten free and very simple to make. The women in the villages make Gari kanyah the old fashion way using wooden mortar and pestle. Its makes a great after school snacks or elevenes. It uses gari, a coarse flour made from cassava roots, which can be purchased at any Afro/Caribbean or Asian food store. This recipe was submitted for Cook the Commonwealth by Maria Bradford. Maria was born and raised in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. She says: " I have many fond childhood memories, mainly to do with fascination for age-old African recipes. Discovering fresh, local, flavoursome ingredients and cooking for all my family and friends. My enduring love for the taste of home took me to that point, but I wanted to deepen my understanding of cooking theory, and expand my knowledge surrounding food, so I went to Leiths School of food and wine to satisfy my culinary passions and solidify a professional future in food. I have turned my life-long passion of food into a fulfilling business which was conceived in 2017 and I am now bringing the reinvention of African dishes to a broader audience. This is my calling, and I love it!" My business is called Shwen Shwen, derived from the Krio language word for fancy, which describes how I style my food. Our mission is simple. We are here to bring a whole new world of flavours to your door. Dinner parties, weddings, corporate events, we draw upon our Sierra Leonean colourful culture to bring people closer together through food and offer an authentic experience. Always with inspiration from traditional African recipes. And always with a distinctive Maria Bradford twist infused into each dish. You call it 'Fancy'. We call it Shwen Shwen."

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Toast the gari over medium heat in a dry fry pan until toasted and brown for about 5 minutes.

Step 2

Put the toasted gari and peanut butter into a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides with a spatula a few times.

Step 3

Taste and add sugar according to your preference and blend again.

Step 4

Press the mixture in an even layer in the base of a rectangular dish or tray and then cut into about 15 -20 cubes.

Step 5

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a month.

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