Ghana’s signature street food is impossible to beat

Hard-boiled eggs are inexpensive, naturally portion-controlled, portable packages of nutritional excellence. But let’s face it, they can be a bit boring. Fortunately, Ghanaians have transformed ordinary into extraordinary with the addition of fire, rhythm and structural engineering. Ladies, gentlemen and others, allow me to introduce you to your new favourite food: kosua ne meko.

The name translates from the Twi language as “egg and pepper” and its contents are just that. An egg is hard-boiled, then peeled and sliced lengthways – not cut all the way through – just enough to create an opening into which a fresh, ferocious meko chili, ginger, tomato and dried shrimp powder relish can be inserted. Et voilà! Ghana’s signature street food.

For sheer nutritional pizazz, kosua ne meko is almost impossible to beat. According to the South African Food Composition Tables, one large, boiled egg contains about six grams of protein. And what a protein it is.

Full set of protein building blocks

Containing all nine essential amino acids, it offers a full set of the protein building blocks that the human body cannot make for itself. Add in iron, selenium, brain-boosting choline, vitamin A, biotin and eye-protective carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin and what you have is the ultimate supercalifragilisticexpialidocious fabulous food.

Once condemned for their cholesterol content, eggs are again in the ascendancy. Recent research has found that, for most people, dietary cholesterol has less effect on blood cholesterol than saturated and trans fats. Since a boiled egg contains only about 1.6 grams of saturated fat and virtually no trans fat, much of the old argument against eggs has cracked under scrutiny. Clearly, anyone with high cholesterol or a specific medical condition should follow their doctor’s advice and all of us should avoid over-indulgence.

Bear in mind that an egg is only as healthy as the company it keeps. Human handler habits and roadside conditions can be a hygiene hazard. It is reassuring that kosua ne meko are peeled and prepared to order. Until then, the edible interior remains safely enclosed in its shell rather than sitting exposed to dust and flies.

Leave any egg too long at warm temperatures and bacterial lurgy can become a problem. Raw relish requires clean hands, clean utensils, clean ingredients and safe water. Look for vendors with loyal customers and a brisk turnover – no one should be eating eggs that have spent the day sunbathing on a street corner.

This egg’s culinary companions are exemplary. Boiled eggs are cooked in water, unlike so many other egg dishes that are fried in fat. And while eggs are often accompanied by greasy bacon, sausages and hot buttered toast, our West African epicurean icon is elegantly attired in a relish of tomato, ginger, chilli, garlic, onion and seafood.

Trust me, no one eating kosua ne meko is missing those aforementioned fatty friends. Once you go Ghanaian, you never go back. The egg white is mild and springy; the yolk rich and creamy. The meko mixture is a wonderful whirling dervish. Sweet, sour, savoury tomato meets the power punch and crunch of onion and garlic, then the warmth of ginger, the deep savoury splendour of dried shrimp and the startlingly strong thrill of Scotch bonnet chilli. The egg soothes the relish; the relish enlivens the egg. Sensory pairing perfection is achieved.

As is often the case, complementary flavours accompany nutritional dynamism. The effect is addictive and exquisitely delicious. Egg and dried shrimp supply protein, vitamins and minerals; tomato brings vitamin C; ginger and garlic are rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. It is also an excellent example of how umami can do the flavour work that less skilful cooks leave to fat, salt and sugar. The deep savouriness of egg, ripe tomato and dried shrimp, sharpened by acidity, aromatics and chilli heat, makes the dish so intensely satisfying that unhealthy additions are simply not missed.

No wonder Ghanaian social media is full of affectionate jokes about a national “starter pack”. No food culture with chilies at its epicentre has ever been able to resist an opportunity to turn pleasure and pain into entertainment. There are of course kosua ne meko egg eating competitions full of meko machismo – he who eats most eggs with the strongest sauce wins. The kosua king then lauds it over lesser egg eaters. The soundtrack to such victories is always Ghanaian artist Trozo’s track; KOSUA NE M3KO, produced by Beat Beast.

And then there is the astonishing architecture. Classic kosua ne meko sellers are women who carry their wares as stunning sculptures on their heads. Eggs are stacked into pyramids in ways that appear to defy gravity and the inconvenient truth that an egg placed on a flat surface will roll.

Egg sellers apparently scatter salt across the tray and gently settle the eggs, still in their shells, into it. Those seeking to reduce salt should know that while a little will infuse through the porous shell, almost all of it stays on the outside and is peeled off and discarded before eating.

My very clever science-studying son tells me that the sky-high structure holds because of a delightfully implausible force made from friction, pressure and egg weight distributed across multiple tiny salt grain contact points.

The base layer bears the load. Each rising storey contains fewer eggs. Neighbouring shells create hollows into which the next egg can settle. The weight is shared and the ovals brace one another. Individually, every egg wants to roll. Collectively, properly placed, they hold one another up.

No, I don’t really understand it either, but I suspect physicists and those odd people who like geometry find it extremely exciting. And I know that there are business school leadership seminars charging a great deal of money to say a lot less than the egg ladies of Accra.

Not going to Ghana any time soon? Do not despair. The recipe below will not teach you to balance a perfect pyramid on your head, but it will taste terrific. And Trozo’s soundtrack is a mere mouse click or phone tap away…

Recipe: Kosua ne meko

(Yield: 12 eggs)

Ingredients

¼ or 1 whole red Scotch bonnet chilli, stem and seeds removed

1 inch of ginger scrubbed but not peeled then roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

½ small red onion, finely chopped (if you are feeling fancy chop half and finely slice the rest for garnish)

1 large (or 2 small) ripe plum tomato/es, seeds removed and roughly chopped

12 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled

A hearty pinch of dry smoked shrimp powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Note that fresh shrimps cannot be used as a substitute — dried shrimp is used in West Africa as an intense umami spice-like element. It is available at all West African supermarkets in South Africa, but if you can’t locate it a dash of Thai fish sauce will provide a similar umami punch.

In a mortar combine the chilli, ginger, garlic, shrimp powder and salt. Use the pestle to crush the ingredients into a rough paste.

Add the chopped onion to the mortar and crush it into the chilli paste. Add the chopped tomato and crush some more. Season to taste.

You should have about ½ a cup of relish. By hand the crushing will take about 5 minutes. You can use a food processor but pulse cautiously rather than running the motor for a prolonged period. Your aim is rough relish, not smooth sauce.

Slice along the length of each egg without cutting all the way through. Season the inside of the eggs and then stuff each one with about a tablespoon of relish.

If you are feeling fancy now is the time to top with your elegant onion slivers. Serve immediately and live happily ever after. DM