Ingredients
Skin
- 1 kgcow skin, singed and scraped
- water, for boiling
- 1 tbspbicarbonate of soda, if needed
To boil
- 1onion, halved
- 3bay leaves
- 1stock cube
- salt
Sauce
- 150 mlred palm oil, or groundnut oil
- 2onions, chopped
- 6garlic cloves, crushed
- 4tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 2hot chillies, chopped
- 1 tbspground crayfish
- 1aubergine, chopped
- 1stock cube
- salt
To serve
- attiéké
- boiled rice
- or foutou
Directions
- Rinse it several times until the water runs clear. Cut it into large pieces about ten centimetres across. Put the pieces in a large pot and cover them generously with water. Add the onion, bay leaves, stock cube and salt.
- Bring it to the boil and then lower to a steady simmer. Simmer it for two and a half to three hours. Top the pot up with hot water as it reduces. The skin must stay covered throughout.
- Use no more than a teaspoon, since too much makes it slimy. Lift the softened skin out and let it cool enough to handle. Lay a piece flat and cut it into strips about two centimetres wide. Keep the cooking liquid, which is used in the sauce.
- Warm the oil in a wide heavy pot over a medium heat. Do not overheat palm oil, since it scorches and loses colour. Add the chopped onions and cook them for eight minutes. Add the garlic and the chillies and cook for two minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for two minutes until it darkens. Add the chopped tomatoes and the aubergine. Cook them down for ten minutes into a thick base. Add the strips of kplo to the sauce. Pour in enough of the reserved cooking liquid to make a thick sauce. Add the ground crayfish and the stock cube.
- Simmer it uncovered for thirty minutes. The skin will absorb the sauce and take on its colour. Stir it occasionally so nothing catches on the bottom. Now the consistency, which should be thick. Cook it down further if it is too loose. Add hot liquid if it has gone dry.
- Taste it and adjust the salt and chilli. Now serving, which is done hot. Serve it with attiéké, which is the standard Ivorian pairing.
Technique
- Buy skin that is already singed and scraped, since raw hide is not a home job.
- Simmer for at least two and a half hours until it is gelatinous rather than rubbery.
- Use no more than a teaspoon of bicarbonate, since too much makes it slimy.
Substitutions
- Groundnut oil in place of red palm oil.
- Tripe, which is prepared much the same way.
Variations
- Cooked into sauce graine, the palm nut sauce.
- Added to a kedjenou pot with chicken.
- Grilled after boiling, which some stalls do.
History
A thrift cut of the Abidjan butchery trade; singed hide is boiled soft and sold cheap for sauce graine and kedjenou pots.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kplo?
Kplo is a main from Côte d’Ivoire: boiled cow skin cut into gelatinous strips and simmered in sauces. A thrift cut of the Abidjan butchery trade; singed hide is boiled soft and sold cheap for sauce graine and kedjenou pots.
How long does Kplo take to make?
Kplo takes 20 min of preparation and 3 hours of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kplo?
Yes, within limits. Groundnut oil in place of red palm oil. Tripe, which is prepared much the same way.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kplo?
Bring it to the boil and then lower to a steady simmer. Simmer it for two and a half to three hours. Top the pot up with hot water as it reduces. The skin must stay covered throughout.
