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Abolo
Steamed corn and rice bread
Abolo: the slightly sweet steamed corn and rice bread of Keta and the Ewe coast
Along the lagoon towns of Keta and Anloga, women carry trays of abolo to the lorry parks: pale, spongy little cakes of fermented corn and rice dough, sweetened a little and steamed until springy. They taste gently sour and sweet, a bit like a steamed bun, and are traditionally eaten with fried fish and shito or a raw pepper sauce; with fresh pepper sauce and avocado they make a meat-free meal. The batter needs about an hour to rise, which is counted in the timings below. Chef's tip: cook a small part of the corn dough into a thick porridge first and mix it back in; this is what gives abolo its soft, bouncy crumb, and skipping it, the common mistake, gives dense, heavy cakes.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the porridge base
- 14 oz fermented corn doughfrom African shops; or mix 400 g fine cornmeal with 350 ml water and leave covered at room temperature for 2–3 days until pleasantly sour
- 1 cup water
For the batter
- 9 oz rice flour
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 1 ½ tsp instant yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm wateras needed
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilfor greasing the moulds
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix a quarter of 3 ½ oz fermented corn dough with 1 cup water until smooth. Cook in a small pan over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until it thickens into a stiff, glossy porridge. Cool until lukewarm.
8 minStep 2: In a large bowl, mix the rest of 10 ½ oz fermented corn dough with 9 oz rice flour, 3 ½ oz sugar, 1 ½ tsp instant yeast and ½ tsp salt. Add the cooled porridge and enough ¾ cup warm water to make a thick batter that drops slowly off a spoon.
5 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place until puffy and full of bubbles.
60 minStep 4: Brush small cups, ramekins or a muffin tray with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and set up a large steamer over simmering water. Stir the batter once and fill the moulds three-quarters full.
5 minStep 5: Steam, covered, until the cakes are risen, springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean. Do not open the lid in the first 20 minutes.
30 minStep 6: Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out. Serve warm with pepper sauce, or with fried fish and shito.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 270 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 59 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does abolo take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 85 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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