Hello everyone! I hope all is well in your world and life as well. Today we are going down memory lane into the depth of Liberian Cuisine dishes that were introduced during the civil crisis in Liberia during the early and late 90s- Liberian Gari Yorkor. I hope I am not aging myself here ahahaha…!
Gari Yorkor a very easy, delicious, flavorful and filling well-known dish in Liberia and other West African countries such as Ghana and Nigeria. In Ghana, it is called “Gari Yoko” and Nigeria – “Gari and Beans.” Gari Yorkor is a simple and popular meal made from gari and beans. This meal makes you feel so full and help with hunger cravings. In Liberia, it is commonly sold by street vendors and restaurants.
My personal food journey with Gari Yorkor, started as a child in Liberia at the start of the civil war in the 90s, when food especially rice was so scare to find and buy. With a lot of Ghanaian and Nigerian peacekeepers in the country Gari Yorkor was birthed. Before my mom started cooking this meal in our house, I always bought it from a neighbor that sold cooked food – also known as “Cold Bowl.” After tasting this meal for the first time, I have been addicted to eating Gari Yorkor until I departed Liberia for the States with my family. Over the years my craving has come and gone, but lately with the rice crisis in Liberia I thought about Gari Yorkor, which brought back my craving and here we are friends lol!
However, Gari Yorkor has a lot of nutritional benefits; firstly, the gari is made from granulated cassava, a root vegetable. Cassava is commonly found in most west African food. Gari contains Vitamin B17, a content in cassava that helps in stimulating red blood cells. Also, Gari is rich in Vitamin A and bakarotennya, which improves healthy eyes and prevents future blindness or poor eyesight.
The Kidney Beans are a major source of protein and vegetable. Eating a minimum of a half cup of beans per day can improve the overall health. Kidney beans improve heart health, control blood glucose and weight management. Also, Palm Oil adds a tasty flavor and provides healthy fat while reducing oxidative stress and improving skin and hair health.
Now let’s get in the kitchen, all the ingredients for this dish can be purchased from your local Africa/Ethnic market. This dish can be stored in the refrigerator and reheat for eating later as needed.
Liberian Gari Yorkor
Ingredients
- 1 cup Gari
- 1 can Kidney Beans
- ½ TSP Cayenne Pepper (optional)
- ¼ Diced Purple/Yellow Onions
- 1 tbsp chicken flavor bouillon or maggi cubes (2)
- 1 cup Water
- ⅓ cup Red Palm Oil
Instructions
- On medium heat, add can beans, water and seasoning to a pot and bring to a boil for 15-20 mins. Turn off heat and set beans aside.
- In a clean bowl, add gari, then beans and broth, next red palm oil, cayenne pepper and diced onions.
- Stir your Gari Yorkor mixture evenly and it's really for serving!
Video
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Yassou,
I live in Greece part of the year. Do you have a restaurant in Athens or do take out? Do you do traditional Liberian dishes like palm butter, cassava leaf, palaver sauce, peanut chop?
Hi Seth, no I do not have a restuarant or take out in Athens. But a great idea for the future, thanks for visiting Okra Pantry and please subscribe to our newsletter for more Liberian/West African recipes