Chelpang Yakubu on Curate Tamale

Curate Tamale

Second Edition of Curate Tamale 12th June, 2015 Experiencing the Northern Region of Ghana through individual stories. Curator: Chelpang Yakubu Chelpang (taking the photo) & the boys Chelpang Yakubu works at the Pilgrim Affairs Office of Ghana. Follow him on Twitter @pangs_Myasin

Tweets from Curator

Such an honor and I am such a lucky fella to be the second person to #CurateTamale.

Born and raised in Tamale, Nyankpala to be precise. #DagbandooProper

Nyankpala is a town located ten miles to the west of Tamale. #CurateTamale

One of the oldest campuses of @UDSghana is currently located in nyankpala #CurateTamale

my Tamale..... #StreetPhotography #blackandwhite

Photo by @the_NaKD_dude (Flawed Perfection)

Muslims in my neighborhood Nyohini prepare for Jummah prayers. #CurateTamale

Jummah at Nyohini a suburb of Tamale

When it's sunny in Tamale u can always visit the VRA clubhouse and swimming pool to cool off. #CurateTamale

VRA Clubhouse

Did you know the northern region is the biggest in Ghana? Build your home here because we have so much land for you.

You can get all your local fabrics and accessories at the Tamale cultural center near the jubilee park #CurateTamale

More than 75% of the economically active population are into Agriculture. #CurateTamale

You can also find the best waakye here. Opposite Barclays Bank, within the premises of the Goil filling station. #CurateTamale

Let me teach you a little Dagbani, 'ka wula' means how are you... Ooh yeah !!Dagbani is easy to learn. #CurateTamale

I'm sure most people don't even know what a neem tree is. We have them everywhere in Tamale. #CurateTamale

A neem tree in Tamale

"Amaraaba" means "welcome" in Dagbani. Free language lessons! Follow us and learn more. #CurateTamale

The rain was brief, skies are clear. Business activities have started again. #TamaleCentral #CurateTamale

Tamale Central

That’s a cinema, record store, movie store and a production house. Radio Ten Thousand Production. #CurateTamale

Beautiful view from the Heart of Town...#GiddipassRooftop #NightLife

Tamale at night

Rooftop View

View from Giddipass

Tamale Nightlife, hanging out with the boys #CurateTamale

Today has been amazing. It was nice interacting with all of y'all and sharing a day in tamale with you #CurateTamale

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