Ingredients
From flour
- 500 gfermented cassava flour
- 1 litrewater
From fresh roots
- 2 kgcassava, soaked, fermented, dried and milled
To serve
- okra sauce
- potato leaf sauce
- groundnut sauce
Directions
- Whisk a quarter of the flour into a little cold water to make a smooth slurry, then stir that into the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add it gradually and beat between every addition. Tipped in all at once it seizes into lumps with dry flour trapped inside them, and those never break down.
- Work it against the side of the pot, folding and pressing, for 10 to 15 minutes over a low heat. It is ready when it is smooth, stiff and glossy, pulls away from the pot cleanly, and stretches when a piece is pulled.
- Serve with a slippery sauce and eat it by hand.
Technique
- Fermented cassava flour is sold as cossettes flour or fufu flour and is not the same as plain cassava flour or tapioca starch.
- It should stretch. A foufou that breaks cleanly has not been worked enough.
- It stiffens fast, so make it last and serve it immediately.
Substitutions
- Any fufu flour from an African grocer, which behaves similarly.
- Plantain or yam flour, which give sweeter and less sour results.
Variations
- With plantain flour mixed in for a softer swallow.
- Foofoo, the Sierra Leonean version pounded from wet paste.
- Made stiffer or softer to household taste, which varies considerably.
History
Cassava is soaked until it ferments, dried and pounded; the sour dough reflects the Forest Region’s cassava staple rather than the Sahel’s millet.
Frequently asked questions
What is Foufou?
Foufou is a main from Guinea: elastic pounded cassava balls with slippery sauces; Forest Region staple. Cassava is soaked until it ferments, dried and pounded; the sour dough reflects the Forest Region’s cassava staple rather than the Sahel’s millet.
How long does Foufou take to make?
Foufou takes 20 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Foufou?
Yes, within limits. Any fufu flour from an African grocer, which behaves similarly. Plantain or yam flour, which give sweeter and less sour results.
What is the most important thing to get right in Foufou?
Add it gradually and beat between every addition. Tipped in all at once it seizes into lumps with dry flour trapped inside them, and those never break down.
