Amiwo

Ingredients

Sauce base

• 5 tbspred palm oil
• 2onions, roughly chopped
• 4large tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tbsptomato paste
• 2red bell peppers, chopped
• 2–3fresh red chillies (piment), to taste
• 5garlic cloves
• 20 gfresh ginger, peeled
• 2 tspsalt
• 1stock cube (vegetable or chicken), crumbled
• 800 mlwater

Amiwo dough

• 500 gfine white cornmeal (maize flour)
• 600 mlof the hot red sauce, plus more as needed

Poulet, to serve

• 8chicken thighs or drumsticks
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1onion, grated
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbspmustard
• 4 tbsppeanut or palm oil, for frying

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, grated onion, garlic and mustard and leave it while you make the sauce.
2. Blend the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, chillies, garlic and ginger to a coarse purée.
3. Heat the red palm oil in a wide pot over medium heat until it thins and turns bright orange — do not let it smoke, which destroys both the colour and the flavour.
4. Add the tomato paste and fry 3 minutes until it darkens, then pour in the blended purée, add the salt and stock cube, and cook uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring, until the sauce has reduced, deepened to brick red and the oil floats clear on top.
5. Lift out about half the sauce and reserve it for serving. Add the water to what is left in the pot and bring it back to a strong simmer.
6. Now rain in the cornmeal in a steady stream with one hand while beating hard with a sturdy wooden spatula in the other. It thickens almost at once, so speed matters.
7. Keep working the dough against the side of the pot over low heat for 15–20 minutes, folding and pressing, until it is stiff, smooth, glossy and pulls away from the pot in one mass with no raw cornmeal taste.
8. Meanwhile fry or grill the chicken in the oil for 15–20 minutes, turning, until the skin is dark and crisp and the juices run clear at the bone.
9. Wet a bowl, press in a portion of the hot amiwo, and turn it out as a smooth red dome per person. Serve with the fried chicken and the reserved sauce poured over.

Technique

• Amiwo is the red cousin of white akassa or wo: the corn dough is cooked in the tomato-pepper sauce itself rather than in water, which is where the colour and the flavour come from.
• Red palm oil, not vegetable oil, is the traditional fat in southern Benin, and it gives the sauce its particular earthy, slightly sweet character.
• The beating is heavy physical work and cannot be shortcut; lumps that form in the first thirty seconds do not come out later. A second pair of hands helps.
• Amiwo is a Fon dish from the south of Benin, eaten at celebrations and often served with grilled chicken, fried fish or a peanut sauce.

Substitutions

• No red palm oil: use groundnut oil plus 1 tsp of ground annatto for colour, but accept that the flavour is noticeably lighter.
• Fine polenta can replace the cornmeal; use slightly less liquid, as it drinks more slowly.

Variations

• Amiwo with fried fish and a sharp raw onion-and-chilli relish, common on the coast at Ouidah and Cotonou.
• A milder version made with less chilli for children, served with the hot sauce separately.

History

A Fon festive dish of maize dough cooked directly in a red tomato and palm-oil sauce, served with chicken at ceremonies in Abomey.

Frequently asked questions

What is Amiwo?

Amiwo is a main from Benin: red corn dough cooked in tomato-pepper broth, paired with chicken. A Fon festive dish of maize dough cooked directly in a red tomato and palm-oil sauce, served with chicken at ceremonies in Abomey.

How long does Amiwo take to make?

Amiwo takes 25 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Amiwo?

Yes, within limits. No red palm oil: use groundnut oil plus 1 tsp of ground annatto for colour, but accept that the flavour is noticeably lighter. Fine polenta can replace the cornmeal; use slightly less liquid, as it drinks more slowly.

What is the most important thing to get right in Amiwo?

Heat the red palm oil in a wide pot over medium heat until it thins and turns bright orange — do not let it smoke, which destroys both the colour and the flavour.