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Attoukpou
Attoukpou: soft, pillowy balls of steamed and pounded fermented cassava from the Abidjan lagoons
Along the lagoons east and west of Abidjan, Ebrié and Attié cooks turn soured cassava dough into attoukpou, a soft steamed paste that is gentler and less stretchy than placali. The crumbled dough is steamed until it turns translucent, then pounded with a little hot water into smooth, pillowy balls with a light sourness. It is served at home and at village gatherings with palm-nut sauce, a light pepper soup or aubergine sauce, and it soaks up gravy beautifully. Ready-made fermented cassava dough from an African grocer saves days of work. Avoid packing the dough tightly into the steamer; it needs space for the steam to move through. Chef's tip: crumble the dough very finely before steaming; big lumps stay chalky in the middle however long they cook.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 5
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb fermented cassava doughdrained; sold as attiéké or placali dough
- ½ tsp salt
- clean cloth or muslinto line the steamer
- ¾ cup hot water
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Crumble the 1 ¾ lb fermented cassava dough between your palms into fine, moist crumbs, picking out any fibres. Mix in the ½ tsp salt.
10 minStep 2: Line a steamer basket with the damp clean cloth or muslin and spoon in the crumbs loosely; packing them down leaves raw patches.
2 minStep 3: Steam, covered, over boiling water for 30 minutes until the crumbs look translucent and stick together.
30 minStep 4: Tip the hot crumbs into a mortar or sturdy bowl and pound with a pestle or a wet wooden spoon, adding the ¾ cup hot water a little at a time, for 8 minutes until smooth, soft and slightly elastic.
8 minStep 5: Shape into balls with wet hands and keep them covered so they stay warm and soft. Serve with sauce.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 63 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does attoukpou take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 5 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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