Midunu
Chef Selassie Atadika
Place Accra, Ghana
At Midunu, which she calls a nomadic dining concept, Selassie Atadika celebrates native African ingredients, especially produce and grains, which she obtains through a network of local farmers and producers. She has received international acclaim for her contemporary take on African culture and culinary heritage.
Selassie Atadika’s culinary muses crisscross the globe—from her mom’s kitchens in Ghana and the U.S., to a decade in United Nations’ priority zones. Now back home in Ghana, she celebrates Africa’s culinary heritage through “New African Cuisine.” Atadika is a founding member of Trio Toque, the first nomadic restaurant in Dakar and studied at The Culinary Institute of America. In 2014, she brought her innovative approach to Ghana through Midunu—a nomadic, pioneering dining enterprise. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in geography modified with environmental studies from Dartmouth College.
30 minutes cook/prep
Add ½ (1.1 dl) cup water to the ¼ tsp salt and let it dissolve. Place the gari in a mixing bowl and slowly add the salted water to the gari until it is damp but not soaking wet. Add more water if necessary.
Blanch the carrots, green peppers and green beans in salted water, then drain and set aside.
In a large skillet on medium heat, add the vegetable oil and wait until it is hot, sauté the onions for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic, ginger, tomatoes, mushroom powder, chili, salt and prekese and cook until the stew is developed and the flavors have melted together. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Add in blanched vegetable and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and mix in the moistened gari until the gari is damp but not soaked. The gari will continue to absorb the sauce after mixing so be cautious not to make it too dry. Turn off the heat. Adjust the salt if needed.
Place 1 cup of gari foto in a serving dish and garnish with fresh basil, top with a poached egg if desired.
Her approach
Midunu, the name of our restaurant, means "let us eat" in Ewe. It is a term of hospitality, which Ewe people say before they start to eat. It invites all those present to partake in the food and all blessings.
With a background in environmental studies and practical involvement working on global nutritional crises and food insecurity, my life experience has shown the importance of eating lower on the food chain as a method to enable more people to access food. Why invest considerably more resources for few people to eat animal protein when those same resources could be spent growing lower cost, healthier food for consumption for all?
When I look at nomadic populations in Africa, it is clear that humans can survive without eating animal protein on a daily basis. It is also clear that high reliance on animal protein is not a sustainable practice for the environment, for human health outcomes, or for economic stability in either nomadic or settled populations. The issues of climate change and the need to integrate more carbon-neutral ingredients into menus has become clear to us. Thus, Midunu works to integrate this approach into our menus and inspire consumption patterns needed to get behavior change to happen in our society.
What plant is the most versatile to cook with?
Since I was a child, I’ve been obsessed with plantains. The love affair continues till today. Green, ripe, overripe, grilled, fried, roasted, mashed, boiled, baked…you name it, it’s all possible with the humble plantain.
Where do you look for inspiration?
My inspiration at the moment is indigenous knowledge. There are many recipes that our grandparents and great grandparents used to make that are highly nutritious and are slowly being lost in the urbanization and fast-paced lifestyle of contemporary Africa. I look to these recipes and ingredients to see how we can bring them back into our dining rooms, keep our cuisine as diverse as possible, support local producers, and inspire conversation about the global appeal of African cuisine.