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Foutou banane
Pounded plantain and cassava
Pounded plantain and cassava dough from central Côte d'Ivoire
Foutou is the pounded staple of the Baoulé country around Bouaké and Yamoussoukro: boiled plantain, often mixed with cassava, pounded in a wooden mortar into a smooth, stretchy, slightly sweet ball. It is eaten with the fingers, pulled off in pieces and dipped into sauce graine (palm nut), sauce arachide or okra sauce. A food processor followed by a short knead does the job at home. Chef's tip: pound while everything is steaming hot; cold plantain will not come together and stays lumpy.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 green-to-yellow plantainspeeled, in 5 cm pieces
- 10 ½ oz cassavapeeled, core removed, in chunks
- 2 litres water
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Boil 10 ½ oz cassava in 2 litres water for 10 minutes, then add 4 green-to-yellow plantains and boil for 15–20 minutes more, until both are completely soft when pierced.
30 minStep 2: Drain well. While very hot, pound in a mortar, or pulse in a food processor in two batches, with ½ tsp salt and a splash of the hot water, until it forms one smooth, sticky mass.
Step 3: Wet your hands and work it on a board for 2–3 minutes, folding and pressing out any lumps. Common mistake: too much water — the foutou goes slack and gluey; add just enough to make it smooth.
3 minStep 4: Shape into 4 smooth balls with wet hands and serve hot with a sauce such as vegetable mafé.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 80 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does foutou banane take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 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.
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