By Soyokour Quarcoo Tchire
It’s snack time on CHOPOLOGY today and we are serving you a crunchy savoury made with cassava. The Ewes call it Agbeli Kaklo, the Akans Bankye Krakro or cassava balls in English. This is a simple recipe made from grated cassava and onions. This Ghanaian snack originated from the southern part of the Volta Region. It is easy to get addicted to this crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside snack, which pairs very well with matured coconut meat.
Agbeli Kaklo is made from grated cassava and a favourite of many. This snack originated from the southern part of the Volta Region. Agbeli in Ewe means “There is Life.” The Ewes also call Cassava “Agbeli “. In fact, the snack is named as such because it is derived from cassava and probably a lifesaver because although tasty and filling, It is very cheap. Although the recipe is very simple, the making of Agbeli Kaklo is a somewhat time-consuming process so make sure you leave yourself enough time. The ingredients for this tasty snack are minimal – all you need are cassava or cassava dough, onions, oil and salt. First, peel, wash and grate cassava to form a dough. Put dough in a clean cloth or jute sack and place a heavy object on it to drain water and moisture. Alternatively, you can buy fresh cassava dough from the market and drain the water and moisture from it using the same process or a machine that can carry out this process. You can also get the water out of the cassava dough by placing small portions of the dough in the middle of a kitchen towel and twisting opposite ends until the moisture starts dripping out. The next step is to sift the dough through a special kind of sieve called an Agbadze in Ewe. Season the sifted flour with salt and ground onion and mix well. You can also add some onions chopped into little bits into it. A caution here is, never taste the raw cassava onion mixture as raw cassava can cause cyanide poisoning when consumed in large quantities. A better option is to fry a small bit of the mixture and then adjust for salt, if necessary. Form medium-sized balls from the mixture paying extra attention not to squeeze them too firmly, they need room as they are being fried. Over medium-high heat, place the balls into the oil. Once in the oil, fry for about 1 minute, and then lower the heat. Fry them for about 7 minutes until they are golden brown. If after frying the Agbeli Kaklo, the centre is white and a different colour from the rest of the inside of the ball then it is not cooked. Cooked Agbeli Kaklo has an even translucent colour on the inside of the balls. This snack is best eaten fresh out of the oil with matured coconut meat.
