Nigerian
Vegan
Gluten freeFio fio (pigeon pea pottage with cocoyam)
Fio fio: Enugu's pottage of pigeon peas cooked with cocoyam in a palm-oil pepper sauce
Pigeon peas are called fio fio or echicha in Enugu, and around Udi and Nsukka they are cooked into a thick pottage for family meals, sometimes with fresh corn in season and often with cocoyam, which melts into the pot and thickens it. The peas stay firm and nutty, the cocoyam turns soft and creamy, and the palm-oil pepper sauce ties it together into a hearty, savoury meal. Dried pigeon peas are sold in African and South Asian shops (as toor or gandules). Pigeon peas are tough and need a long simmer; the mistake is seasoning or adding cocoyam before they are completely tender. Wear gloves to peel cocoyam, which can itch. Chef's tip: soak the peas overnight and boil them hard for the first 10 minutes; it shortens the cooking and makes them evenly tender.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 580 kcal
Ingredients
- 14 oz dried pigeon peaswhole, soaked overnight
- 8 ¼ cups waterplus extra
- 10 ½ oz cocoyamor taro, peeled with gloves and cut into chunks
- 2 fresh corn cobs (optional)cut into 3 cm rounds
- 5 tbsp red palm oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 scotch bonnet chillieschopped
- 1 vegetable stock cubecrumbled
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 utazi leaves (optional)shredded, or a handful of scent leaves
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain 14 oz dried pigeon peas, put them in a large pot with 8 ¼ cups water and boil hard for 10 minutes. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, topping up with boiling water, until a pea crushes easily between your fingers.
70 minStep 2: Add 10 ½ oz cocoyam and 2 fresh corn cobs and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the cocoyam is completely soft when pierced.
18 minStep 3: Lift out a few pieces of cocoyam, mash them to a paste and stir back into the pot to thicken it.
Step 4: Stir in 5 tbsp red palm oil, 1 onion, 2 scotch bonnet chillies, 1 vegetable stock cube and 1 tsp salt and cook over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy and the oil rises to the top.
10 minStep 5: Stir in 4 utazi leaves and serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 580 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 88 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 18 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fio fio (pigeon pea pottage with cocoyam) take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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