Futali

Ingredients

The base

• 1 kgsweet potato
• or 1 kg pumpkin
• water, for boiling
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Groundnut

• 150 ggroundnut flour
• or 150 g roasted peanuts, ground fine
• or 4 tablespoons groundnut paste

To finish

• a little of the cooking water
• salt to taste
• a knob of butter, optional

Sometimes served with

• tea
• a boiled egg
• fresh milk

Directions

1. Discard any nuts that are shrivelled or discoloured. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. Never use nuts with visible mould. Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Peel them or leave the skin on. Cut them into even sized chunks. Peel and seed the pumpkin if using it.
2. Cut it into chunks the same size. Put the chunks into a large pot. Add water to just barely cover them. Use as little water as you can. Too much water washes the flavour away. Add the salt to the cooking water.
3. Bring the whole pot up to a boil. Cooking it takes about twenty minutes. Let it simmer until completely tender. A knife should meet no resistance.
4. Check it after fifteen minutes. Do not let it fall apart into the water. Drain off most of the water now. Keep a cup of that water back. Let the chunks steam dry for a minute. Sprinkle the groundnut flour over the hot chunks.
5. Add it while everything is still very hot. Mash it all together with a wooden spoon. Or use a masher if you have one. Work while it is genuinely hot. Cold starch will not mash properly.
6. Add reserved water a little at a time. Mash it in between each addition. Taste it and add salt to suit. It needs a fair amount of salt.
7. Add a knob of butter if you want it richer. Cooking it on briefly really helps. Return the pot to a very low heat. Stir it for about three minutes. Serving it is done piping hot. Spoon it out into warm deep bowls. It keeps two days refrigerated. Mash it again as you reheat it.

Technique

• The starch gives bulk and sweetness while the groundnut gives fat, protein and flavour, so two cheap locally grown ingredients make a genuinely complete meal.
• Groundnut flour is roasted peanuts ground fine, called nsinjiro in Malawi, and is a kitchen staple stirred into vegetables and relishes across the country.
• Groundnuts can carry aflatoxin, a mould toxin linked to liver damage and liver cancer that roasting does not destroy, and Malawi has documented problems with it; discard any nuts that are shrivelled, discoloured, musty or bitter.

Substitutions

• Pumpkin and sweet potato are interchangeable, and some cooks use both together.
• Roasted peanuts ground fine, or groundnut paste, stand in for groundnut flour.

Variations

• Some households add a knob of butter for richness.
• A version left chunkier is preferred by some cooks.
• Groundnut flour is stirred into greens and relishes the same way.

History

Sweet potato or pumpkin boiled and mashed with groundnut flour, eaten as a filling breakfast or light meal.

Frequently asked questions

What is Futali?

Futali is a salad & side from Malawi: sweet potato or pumpkin mashed with groundnut flour. Sweet potato or pumpkin boiled and mashed with groundnut flour, eaten as a filling breakfast or light meal.

How long does Futali take to make?

Futali takes 20 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Futali?

Yes, within limits. Pumpkin and sweet potato are interchangeable, and some cooks use both together. Roasted peanuts ground fine, or groundnut paste, stand in for groundnut flour.

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

Discard any nuts that are shrivelled or discoloured. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. Never use nuts with visible mould. Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Peel them or leave the skin on. Cut them into even sized chunks. Peel and seed the pumpkin if using it.