Danwake

Ingredients

Dumplings

• 300 gbean flour
• 150 gplain flour
• 100 gcassava, grated
• 2 tbspbaobab leaf powder
• 1 tspfood-grade kanwa, dissolved in water
• 1 tspsalt
• 350 mlwater

To dress

• 3 tbspgroundnut oil
• 3 tbspground roasted peanut
• 1 tbspyaji or ground chilli
• 1onion, sliced
• 1tomato, chopped
• 100 ggrated cassava, blanched
• salt

Directions

1. Grate the cassava and blanch it in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and squeeze it dry.
2. Blanch the cassava before it goes anywhere near the dough. Raw cassava is not something to eat, and the brief boil deals with that while keeping the texture the dish wants.
3. Dissolve the kanwa in a little water and let the grit settle, using only the clear liquid from the top, and use it sparingly. A teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda does the same job.
4. Mix the bean flour, plain flour, baobab leaf powder and salt, then add the water and the kanwa liquid and beat it into a thick, stretchy dough.
5. Work half the blanched cassava into the dough.
6. Beat the dough hard for several minutes, until it pulls away from the spoon in strands. That elasticity is what holds the dumplings together in the water.
7. Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil and drop in rough spoonfuls of the dough.
8. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, until they float and are firm right the way through.
9. Drain thoroughly and tip them into a wide bowl.
10. Toss with the groundnut oil, ground peanut and yaji, then fold through the sliced onion, chopped tomato and the remaining grated cassava.
11. Serve warm from a wide bowl with a spoon, which is how it is sold at northern Nigerian morning markets.
12. The Nigerien dan wake is the same dish across the border, and the grated cassava running through this version is the main difference between the two.

Technique

• Baobab leaf powder, kuka, gives a faint sourness and helps the dough bind. It is what makes it taste properly northern.
• Dress it to order so the raw onion stays sharp against the soft dumplings.
• Yaji is the suya spice blend and it brings peanut, ginger and chilli all at once.

Substitutions

• Bicarbonate of soda in place of kanwa.
• Chickpea flour if bean flour is unavailable, which behaves much the same.

Variations

• With more cassava for a firmer, denser dumpling.
• Served with nono, the fermented milk drink, alongside.
• Made without cassava, which is the Nigerien dan wake.

History

A northern Nigerian Hausa dish ladled from wide bowls at morning markets and eaten with a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

What is Danwake?

Danwake is a street food from Nigeria: bean-flour dumplings boiled, then tossed with oil, pepper and grated cassava. A northern Nigerian Hausa dish ladled from wide bowls at morning markets and eaten with a spoon.

How long does Danwake take to make?

Danwake takes 25 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Danwake?

Yes, within limits. Bicarbonate of soda in place of kanwa. Chickpea flour if bean flour is unavailable, which behaves much the same.