Try West African Ramen and Ghanaian Comfort Food at Eric Adjepong's DC Takeout Spot

"The menu spans from slow-cooked suya-crusted short rib over jollof rice to red red-stewed black eyed peas with sweet plantains and avocado. One of the signature dishes on Elmina's menu is a shareable platter with smoked jollof rice and duck prepared three ways. At Dawa, you'll find a personalized portion with a tamarind-glazed confit duck leg and toasted tomato salad over jollof rice. Other dishes lean less traditional, including a West African take on ramen."

"The name Dawa comes from dawadawa, a fermented locust bean found in Ghana. "It's very umami based. It has a funk to it. It's like plant-based fish sauce. It's really, really deep flavors," Adjepong says. Here, he grinds it into a powder that seasons a smash burger. The patty is topped with a Senegalese yassa onion jam, which is flavored with tangy yellow mustard, ginger, and garlic."

"Another favorite dish of Adjepong's is a side: sweet fried plantains with caramelized mojo onions. They're tossed in a tangy benne-seed miso. "It's just a one-two punch of sweet and umami. And that right there goes well with so many other dishes from the menu," he says. Cocktails are also bottled to-go, including a clarified Courvoisier cognac punch with papaya and turmeric or a rum drink enriched with plantain, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and honey."

Elmina on 14th Street serves elevated, contemporary Ghanaian dishes with items like suya-crusted short rib over jollof rice and a shareable smoked jollof rice platter with duck prepared three ways. Dawa operates as a takeout-only fast-casual extension offering portions such as tamarind-glazed confit duck leg over jollof rice. Menu innovations include a West African ramen with chicken consommé made from pepper soup, noodles, suya-spiced short rib, and peri-peri oil. Dawa uses dawadawa, a fermented locust bean, ground into powder to season a smash burger topped with Senegalese yassa onion jam. Sides and bottled cocktails emphasize sweet, umami, and spiced flavors. Expansion to a standalone Dawa and a future higher-end concept are planned.

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