Dish of West African Salad
(click to enlarge)

West African Salad


Ghana / Nigeria   -   Ghana Salad / Nigerian Salad
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/2 #
***
2 hrs
Most		 This fine salad is very popular in Ghana and Nigeria, countries not otherwise noted for salads. Nobody knows how this odd mixture came about, but it is adhered to pretty closely.

3
-------
10
8
3-1/2
3
4
2-1/2
2/3
-------
7
ar
-------
1
2
1
-------
lrg
---
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
c
---
oz

---
c
T
T
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Eggs, hard cooked  
-- Salad
Potatoes (1)
Tomatoes, Plum
Cucumbers (2)
Carrots
Cabbage, red
Lettuce
Corn, Canned
-- Garnish
Baked Beans (3)
The Eggs, Sliced
-- Dressing (4)
Mayonnaise
Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
---------------

To make this salad vegetarian, just use vegetarian baked beans. It can be made with Pasta rather than Potatoes. See also Comments

Do Ahead   -   (45 min - 15 min work + cooling time)
  1. Hard Boil EGGS and shell them. For the best method see our recipe Boiling Eggs. Chill the Eggs well.
  2. Peel POTATOES and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Boil until just cooked through (or cook PASTA if using instead). Drain and let cool.
MAKE   -   (45 min + sitting time)
  1. Dice TOMATOES and CUCUMBERS 1/4 to 3/8 inch. Mix.
  2. Peel CARROTS and grate medium.
  3. Shred CABBAGE and LETTUCE fairly small. Mix with Carrots.
  4. Drain CORN.
  5. Drain any liquid from Tomato mix. Place all Salad items (except Eggs) in a large mixing bowl and tumble gently.
  6. If you have time, place the salad in the fridge for about an hour to cool and blend flavors.
  7. When getting ready to serve, mix Dressing.
  8. Place Salad in a serving bowl.
  9. Slice Eggs and arrange them around the salad.
  10. Open can of Baked Beans and spoon some on top center of the salad.
  11. When ready to serve spoon some Dressing onto the salad and/or provide it on the side. For buffet service, I'd mix just enough dressing into the salad before placing in the serving bowl and provide both additional Dressing and additional Baked Beans on the side.
  12. Serve cold.
NOTES:

  1. Potatoes:

      I use White Rose, but Red Potatoes and even Yukon Gold can be used in this recipe (if you don't over-cook them). Note also that Pasta can be used instead of Potatoes.

  2. Cucumbers:

      If at all possible, use small cucumbers that don't need to be peeled or seeded, such as Persian, Japanese or European. If you have only the standard waxed green blimps, peel them and seed them, then measure out the given weight.

  3. Baked Beans:

      In Africa they use mostly Heinz, but I use either Bush's Regular or Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans, depending on who I'm serving. The vegetarian may not be easy to find, I buy it from Smart & Final.

  4. Dressing:

      This mix sort of resembles the bottled Salad Cream traditional in West Africa. It has been reported that people there are tending toward using plain Mayonnaise, but I appreciate the added tartness from the vinegar.

  5. Comments:

      This salad is widely served by street vendors and restaurants in West Africa - but, don't eat it there! A 2016 study in Ghana found 98% of salads served by street vendors contained unacceptable levels of fecal bacteria. Of that served in restaurants, 60% contained unacceptable levels. I doubt Nigeria is significantly better.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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