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Kabato
Kabato: northern Côte d'Ivoire's cornmeal swallow, given a gentle tang with lemon
From Korhogo and Odienné down to Bouaké, households in northern and central Côte d'Ivoire eat kabato almost daily: a swallow of maize meal cooked with a squeeze of lemon. The acid gives the paste a faint tang and a firmer, cleaner bite than plain cornmeal. It is eaten warm with okra sauce, groundnut sauce or a sauce of pounded leaves, pinched off by hand and dragged through the bowl. A common slip is adding the cornmeal too fast, which makes lumps; rain it in while stirring. Chef's tip: whisk the lemony cornmeal slurry into the boiling water before adding the rest of the meal; starting with a thin porridge is what keeps kabato lump-free.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 5
Ingredients
- 14 oz fine cornmeal
- 4 ½ cups water
- 2 tbsp lemon juiceabout 1 lemon
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 100 g of the 14 oz fine cornmeal with 300 ml cold 4 ½ cups water and the 2 tbsp lemon juice in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Bring the remaining 800 ml water to the boil, whisk in the slurry and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until it is a bubbling thin porridge.
5 minStep 3: Add the rest of the cornmeal gradually, stirring hard with a wooden spatula, for 10 minutes until thick, smooth and pulling away from the pan. Taste a little: if it still tastes floury, it needs longer.
10 minStep 4: Cover and leave over the lowest heat for 5 minutes. Shape with a wet ladle or bowl into rounds and serve warm with sauce.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 61 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kabato take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 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.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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