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Amiwo
Amiwo: the brick-red tomato cornmeal of Benin and Togo, cooked for feasts and Sundays
Fon cooks in southern Benin make amiwo for weddings, christenings and big Sunday tables, and you will find it at celebrations across the border in Lomé too. Maize meal is cooked straight into a well-fried tomato, onion and pepper base until it becomes a thick, brick-red paste that is savoury, slightly sweet and full of tomato. Most often it arrives with fried chicken; this meat-free version uses vegetable stock and comes with fried ripe plantain and an extra spoonful of tomato sauce. Chef's tip: hold back a ladle of the tomato base before adding the cornmeal and spoon it over each portion to serve.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoesor 400 g canned tomatoes
- 2 onionsone roughly chopped, one sliced
- 4 tbsp vegetable or red palm oil
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 ¾ cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 ½ oz fine cornmeal
- fried ripe plantain (optional)to serve
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Blend the 4 ripe tomatoes, the chopped 1 onions, the 3 garlic cloves and the 1 Scotch bonnet chilli to a smooth purée.
3 minStep 2: Heat the 4 tbsp vegetable or red palm oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat and fry the sliced 1 onions for 4 minutes until soft.
4 minStep 3: Add the 3 tbsp tomato paste and fry for 3 minutes, stirring, until it darkens to a brick red.
3 minStep 4: Pour in the purée and cook for 12 minutes, stirring often, until reduced by about half and the oil rises to the surface. Under-fried tomato is the usual mistake here; it makes amiwo taste sour and raw.
12 minStep 5: Add the 3 ¾ cups vegetable stock and 1 tsp salt and bring to a simmer. Scoop out one ladle of the sauce and keep it warm for serving.
3 minStep 6: Rain in the 10 ½ oz fine cornmeal while whisking, then switch to a wooden spoon. Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring and pressing often, until a thick, glossy, evenly red paste pulls away from the sides.
15 minStep 7: Cover and rest off the heat for 5 minutes. Shape into mounds, spoon over the reserved sauce and serve with fried ripe plantain.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does amiwo take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 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 ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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