Chabala: The Ideal Snack

Chabala is a popular snack in the Northern Region of Ghana that is enjoyed by many. However, on the regular, many families do not prepare this snack at home. It is mostly made and sold by the roadside. It is one of my favourite snacks unique to northern Ghana. Many foods made in the northern part of Ghana are grain-based (rice, corn, guinea-corn, millet etc.). Chabala is made from millet flour and an assortment of spices. It can be eaten as a breakfast meal (like omelettes) or as a snack.

In the late 90s, it wasn’t uncommon to find children bothering their parents (mothers especially) for loose change to go to the chabala stand in the neighbourhood. It was therefore no surprise that mothers dreaded having such stands in the neighborhood. Some would use a different route when going out, just to avoid having their toddlers point to the stands and ask for some. Well, there was only so much chabala a child could eat in a day.

Photo Credit: www.sorghummaize.com

Nutritional Value

Chabala is made mostly from millet which reduces the effects of migraines and heart attack. Studies have shown that millet may be effective in reducing cardio-vascular disease. It is also a highly digestible grain (goodbye to constipation).

Chabala Recipe

Ingredients: millet flour, onions (chopped), fresh pepper, water, salt, eggs (optional), oil.

1. Pour millet flour in a bowl.

2. Grind/blend pepper and onions together.

3. Add ground pepper and onions to millet flour and mix thoroughly.

4. Add water and mix into a batter-like mixture.

5. Beat eggs in a bowl*

6. Add eggs to paste and mix thoroughly*

7. Pour a little oil in a frying pan; enough to cover just the base of the frying pan.

8. Fetch a ladle-full of the mixture and fry on both sides and serve.

NB

Eggs are not part of the original recipe; therefore you can make chabala without eggs.

On a lighter note, good friend of mine, Rashad Teiya Seini, likes to think that the pancake idea was stolen from or inspired by the chabala recipe. We have yet to prove the veracity of this opinion.

By Wunpini F. Mohammed

Northerners are here to stay. Get used to it.

1. The way the West thinks of Africa is how some southerners look at northerners. We are Ghanaians; we are not second class citizens.

2. The North-South divide is old. Things need to change. Breaking the negative stereotypes the rest of Ghana has about northerners begins with you.

3. I will not be made to feel that I'm any less of a Ghanaian because of where I come from. I'm a northerner, a Ghanaian. We're here to stay.

4. When I vent about how some Ghanaians perceive northerners, people think I'm just an angry woman. Of course, I'm angry. My anger is justified.

5. If I start to tell you about the things people have said to me because I'm a Dagbana or a northerner, you'll be scandalized.

6. I know people who suffer the discrimination and insults in silence. I will not shut up. I'll talk about it till you open your mind.

7. I sat in a Madina bound trotro & a woman got a call. She started speaking Gurune and someone asked what UGLY language that was.

Instead of condemning her, everyone burst into laughter. I didn't know how to express my anger because I couldn't speak Twi.

8. I've been called names, insulted & discriminated against because I am a northern Ghanaian woman. I have been made to feel like an alien in my own country.

9. I say I can't speak Twi and people question my Ghanaian-ness. I speak Dagbanli fluently. I am a Ghanaian. You will not tell me who I am.

10. They make you feel ashamed about your inability to speak certain Ghanaian languages. Lmao, it's like colonialism all over again.

11. The thing is, many of you will not take half the BS northerners in this country are subjected to. You will throw up when you hear the stories.

12. I condemn tribalism in any form. I am just telling you my experiences so that you know what really is going on in this our beloved country.

13. Don't defend the actions of people who are tribalistic, put your ethnic affiliations aside and analyze the issues critically. #OneGhana

14. I'm not saying any of this to start a fight. I'm showing you what northerners experience on a regular basis. Open your mind and learn!

15. Just look at what northerners are called: “pepeni”, “tani” etc. and we are called these names with disdain. It's like the highest form of othering.

16. You think that demeaning placard is one person's view? Live just ONE day as a northerner in Ghana and you will know many Ghanaians think that way.

17. The lived experience of northern Ghanaians is shitty. It's like we're extras in the Ghanaian movie. Not even supporting actors, extras!

18. They find out you are a northerner and they ask, "Do you know Abu? He's from the North." No we don't live in hamlets, thank you!

19. It is not about ethnic groups hating ethnic groups, it's a constant perpetuation of negative stereotypes of northerners even in the mass media.

20. Media organizations have time and again misled the populace. They swap the Upper East and Upper West regional capitals without batting an eyelid.

21. These are regional capitals we are talking about. It's like saying Accra is the capital of the Central Region. Preposterous, right?

22. When a northerner does something wrong, they come up to you & say "Your people..." I'm like, “Shut up and drink gari”.

23. Assess @JDMahama's competence as a person, not based on his ethnic affiliations. That's just dumb. Be critical, not shallow.

24. Our culture of silence is what is killing us. We need to talk about all the unpleasant things going on and try to fix them. #OneGhana

25. I've been talking about my lived experience as a northern Ghanaian. Others have experienced same. We need to fix it, not fight about it. I'm done.

By Wunpini F. Mohammed