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Kokoro (crunchy maize sticks)
Kokoro: crunchy fried sticks of seasoned maize dough, the classic Yoruba roadside snack
Kokoro is sold in clear bags at motor parks, markets and school gates across the Southwest, and it is the snack people tuck into a pocket for a long bus ride. The dough is made by cooking part of the maize flour with water into a thick paste, then kneading in more flour with a little sugar, salt, chilli and ginger, and rolling it into thin sticks that are fried slowly until hard and golden. The result is very crunchy, lightly sweet and peppery, and it keeps for weeks. Children love it, and it is traditionally eaten with roasted groundnuts or coconut. Avoid frying in oil that is too hot; the outside browns before the sticks are crisp all the way through. Chef's tip: roll the sticks no thicker than a pencil and fry them at a moderate heat so they crisp right through; thick sticks fried hot stay hard outside and doughy inside.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 14 oz fine maize flourdivided; not cornflour
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground dried chilli
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 3 cups vegetable oilfor frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring 1 ¼ cups water to the boil in a saucepan. Lower the heat and stir in 150 g of 5 ½ oz fine maize flour with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring hard, for 3–4 minutes until it forms a thick, smooth paste that pulls away from the pan.
6 minStep 2: Tip into a bowl and leave to cool until you can handle it, about 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Add the rest of 9 oz fine maize flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground dried chilli and ½ tsp ground ginger and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth, firm dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Add a spoonful of water if it cracks.
5 minStep 4: Pinch off small pieces and roll them on the worktop into sticks about 8 cm long and 5 mm thick; bend some into rings if you like.
Step 5: Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 325°F. Fry the sticks in batches for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden brown and hard when tapped.
25 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and cool completely; they crisp up further as they cool. Store in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kokoro (crunchy maize sticks) take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground ginger?
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger per ¼ tsp ground.
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