Kondowole

Ingredients

Paste

• 400 gfine cassava flour
• 1 litrewater

To serve

• grilled or stewed fish, usually chambo or usipa
• a tomato and onion relish
• boiled greens

Equipment

• a heavy pot
• a strong flat wooden stick or paddle

Directions

1. Use a fine grade, since coarse flour gives a gritty result. Now the water, which must be at a full boil. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a heavy pot. A thin pot will scorch, since this is worked hard against the base.
2. Set it on a stable surface, since you will be putting real force into it. Now the first stage, which prevents lumps. Take about a quarter of the flour and mix it with cold water. Stir it to a smooth thin slurry with no lumps at all. Pour the slurry into the boiling water while stirring hard.
3. Let it come back to the boil and cook for three minutes. This gives a thin porridge that the rest of the flour goes into. Sprinkle the remaining flour over the surface a handful at a time. Do not stir each handful in straight away.
4. Let it sit and absorb water for a few seconds first. Keep adding until all the flour has gone in. Take the flat stick in both hands. Press the paste against the side of the pot and fold it back over. Turn the pot slightly and repeat the motion. Work steadily and firmly without stopping for long.
5. Keep going for fifteen to twenty minutes. It will go from crumbly and floury to smooth, glossy and elastic. Lift the stick and the paste should pull up with it in a sheet. It should come away from the sides of the pot in one mass.
6. Add a splash of hot water and work it in if it is too stiff. Now shaping it, which is done while it is hot. Scoop a portion of the hot paste into the wet bowl. Swirl the bowl so it forms a smooth ball. Turn it out onto a plate or a banana leaf. Wet the bowl again before each portion.
7. Serve it hot with fish and a relish beside it. Press a hollow into each piece and use it to scoop up sauce.

Technique

• Make a thin slurry first, which is what stops the main flour from lumping.
• Work it hard for fifteen to twenty minutes until it turns glossy and stretchy.
• Wet the shaping bowl each time, or the hot paste sticks fast.

Substitutions

• Any fine cassava flour sold for this purpose.
• A strong wooden spoon in place of a flat stick.

Variations

• Mixed with a little maize flour, which some households do.
• Served with sun-dried usipa fish, which is the everyday pairing.
• Made softer, with more water, for children.

History

A sticky cassava dough from the northern lakeshore around Nkhata Bay and Likoma, where cassava outgrows maize.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kondowole?

Kondowole is a main from Malawi: elastic cassava-flour paste eaten with fish in the north. A sticky cassava dough from the northern lakeshore around Nkhata Bay and Likoma, where cassava outgrows maize.

How long does Kondowole take to make?

Kondowole takes 5 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kondowole?

Yes, within limits. Any fine cassava flour sold for this purpose. A strong wooden spoon in place of a flat stick.

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

Use a fine grade, since coarse flour gives a gritty result. Now the water, which must be at a full boil. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a heavy pot. A thin pot will scorch, since this is worked hard against the base.