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Kokonte
Dried cassava swallow
Kokonte: the brown swallow of sun-dried cassava, made to sit in a bowl of groundnut soup
Dried in the sun and ground to a coarse brown powder, cassava keeps for months as kokonte, and in Ashanti villages it is the swallow of the dry season and of lean times. Cooked, it turns into a smooth, firm, earthy-tasting dough, darker than fufu and with a faint smokiness, that is classically eaten with groundnut soup or palm nut soup; its colour earned it the joking nickname 'face the wall'. It takes only minutes to make. Those soups usually carry meat or fish, so serve a vegetable soup for a meat-free meal. Chef's tip: mix a third of the powder with cold water to a paste before it goes into the boiling water; dumping dry powder into hot water is the common mistake and makes stubborn lumps.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz kokonte (dried cassava powder)sold as kokonte or cassava powder in African shops
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Sift 10 ½ oz kokonte (dried cassava powder) to remove any grit. Mix a third of it with 1 cup cold water to a smooth, lump-free paste.
3 minStep 2: Bring 2 ½ cups water to the boil in a heavy pot with ½ tsp salt, if using. Stir in the paste and cook, stirring hard, until it thickens to a glossy porridge.
4 minStep 3: Lower the heat and add the rest of the kokonte a handful at a time, stirring and pressing it against the side of the pot with a wooden spatula after each.
4 minStep 4: Make a few holes in the dough with the spatula handle, sprinkle over 2–3 tablespoons of hot water, cover and steam for 3 minutes. Then turn again until it is smooth, firm and evenly brown with no raw taste.
6 minStep 5: Shape into balls with a wet bowl and serve with groundnut soup or palm nut soup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kokonte take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 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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