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Ghanaian fufu
Pounded cassava and plantain
Fufuo: cassava and green plantain pounded into a smooth, elastic ball, the Ashanti way
The rhythmic thud of a pestle in a wooden mortar is the sound of lunchtime in Kumasi, where fufuo is pounded by two people, one lifting the pestle and one turning the dough between strokes. Boiled cassava and unripe plantain are beaten together until they become a soft, stretchy, slightly springy ball, served in a bowl of light soup, palm nut soup or groundnut soup and eaten with the right hand. Those soups are usually made with meat or fish; serve it with a vegetable soup for a meat-free meal. Cassava must always be fully cooked, never eaten raw. A food processor makes a good version at home. Chef's tip: pound the plantain first, then add the cassava; adding too much water is the common mistake and leaves the fufu sticky instead of smooth and elastic.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb cassavapeeled, cut into chunks, woody core removed
- 2 unripe plantainsabout 500 g, peeled and cut into chunks
- 8 ¼ cups waterfor boiling
- ½ cup cold waterfor wetting the pestle
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb cassava in a large pot with 8 ¼ cups water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add 2 unripe plantains.
10 minStep 2: Simmer until both are completely tender and a knife slides through the cassava with no resistance.
20 minStep 3: Drain well. Put the plantain in a mortar (or food processor) and pound until it is a smooth paste.
5 minStep 4: Add the cassava a few pieces at a time and keep pounding, turning the dough with wet hands between strokes, dipping your hand or the pestle in ½ cup cold water. In a processor, pulse with only a tablespoon of water at a time.
12 minStep 5: Keep going until the fufu is smooth, elastic and pulls cleanly from the sides, with no lumps of cassava.
5 minStep 6: Shape into balls with wet hands or a wet bowl and serve in a bowl of hot soup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 108 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ghanaian fufu take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 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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