PERTH | Aseda Jeegs is a Ghanaian owned and operated family business in Balcatta, bringing the flavours of West Africa to locals. Popular with the local West African community looking for a taste home, and those looking to try West African food for the first time, Aseda Jeegs had a constant stream of customers picking up takeaway lunch orders when I visited.
It’s in an unassuming location. An old office in an industrial area. It’s a no frills space, with a small kitchen, counter and waiting space downstairs, and tables and seats upstairs.
When you walk in, there’s an assortment of curries, stews, and more in a bain-marie. Bright, colourful posters advertise those dishes, and other specialties that are cooked to order. If you’re not sure where to start, Samuel and his wife are more than happy to talk you through the menu, letting you know what each dish is, what goes with what, and how the various dishes are typically eaten at home.
I’d eaten Ghanaian food once before, when I lived in London, and East African food when I visited Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda in 2019. Some familiarity, then, but for the most part what’s on offer at Asada Jeegs was new to me.
After learning a bit of what was on offer, I opted for a few things. Some egusi soup with fufu, jolof rice with beef stew, and red-red bean stew with fried plantains. Egusi soup is a classic West African dish. It’s made using ground egusi seeds, similar to pumpkin seeds, and a variety of spices, meat, and vegetables. It has a somewhat slimy texture, and is typically eaten using your hands, with banku or fufu.
Jolof rice is the famed West African typically made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, onions, spices, vegetables. Served with beef stew it goes down a treat. As for the fried plantains, think banana fritters. Perfectly paired with red-red bean stew, a rich, hearty, spiced stew featuring black-eyed beans as the star ingredients.
Other dishes include things like fried tilapa, attieke with fish and vegetables, and okra stew. Definitely the kind of place you’ll want to return to, in order to try some of the things you weren’t able to fit in on your first visit.
Aseda Jeegs
5/204 Balcatta Road
Balcatta
Western Australia 6021
Australia
Telephone: 0415 059 519
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Sat: 11:00am to 6:00pm