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