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Futari
Pumpkin and cassava in coconut milk
Futari: Zanzibar pumpkin, cassava and sweet potato simmered in cardamom coconut milk for iftar
When the call to prayer sounds at sunset during Ramadan in Stone Town, tables fill with dates, spiced tea and a pot of futari, chunks of pumpkin, cassava or sweet potato cooked in lightly sweetened coconut milk until soft and creamy. It is gentle food for an empty stomach: sweet, mellow and fragrant with cardamom and a hint of cinnamon, with the vegetables just holding their shape. Families eat it on its own, warm or at room temperature, or alongside savoury mandazi and samosas. Cassava must always be cooked right through and never eaten raw: buy it from a grocer (frozen peeled cassava is easiest), cut out the woody core, and boil it until soft before it goes into the coconut milk. Chef's tip: add the thick coconut cream only at the end and keep it below a boil, or it splits and goes oily.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz cassavapeeled, woody core removed, cut into 4 cm pieces (fresh or frozen)
- 1 ⅛ lb pumpkinor butternut squash; peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
- 10 ½ oz sweet potatopeeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
- 3 ¼ cups coconut milk2 tins; shake well
- 2 ½ oz sugarto taste
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp salt
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz cassava in a pot of cold water, bring to the boil over a high heat and cook until a knife slides into the centre easily and the pieces look slightly translucent. Drain.
15 minStep 2: Open the coconut milk tins and scoop off about 200 ml of the thick cream from the top; set it aside. Pour the thinner milk from 2 ½ cups coconut milk into a wide pot with 200 ml water, 2 ½ oz sugar, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 1 cinnamon stick and ¼ tsp salt.
Step 3: Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 ⅛ lb pumpkin and 10 ½ oz sweet potato.
3 minStep 4: Simmer gently, uncovered, until the pumpkin and sweet potato are tender when pierced but not collapsing.
12 minStep 5: Add the cooked cassava and the reserved thick cream from ¾ cup coconut milk. Heat gently for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pot rather than stirring so the pieces stay whole, until the sauce is creamy. Don't let it boil.
4 minStep 6: Remove the cinnamon stick, taste for sweetness and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does futari take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 sweet potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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