Ingredients
Meal
- 500 gfermented maize dough
- 200 gcornmeal
- 1 tspsalt
To finish
- 150 mlpalm oil
- 1 tspsalt
To serve
- palm nut soup
- smoked fish
- avocado
Directions
- Start from fermented maize dough, the same soured corn dough used for kenkey, which is bought ready-made or made by souring ground maize for two days.
- The sourness is the character of the dish and it comes from a short lactic ferment, the same process as a sourdough starter.
- Crumble the fermented dough and rub it through your fingers with the dry cornmeal until it is an even, coarse, damp crumb.
- Rub it into loose crumbs rather than a paste. Kpokpoi is a steamed granular meal, not a dough, and lumps stay raw in the middle.
- Sieve the crumb to break up anything that has clumped, and rub any lumps through.
- Steam the crumb in a cloth-lined steamer for 20 minutes.
- Take it out, break it up thoroughly with a fork while hot, sprinkling over a little water, and return it to steam for a further 15 minutes.
- The two-stage steaming with a breaking-up in between is what gives the light separate texture, and a single long steam gives a solid block.
- Turn the steamed meal into a bowl.
- Now loosen it with palm oil, working it through with a wooden spoon until every grain is coated and the whole thing turns deep orange.
- Use plenty of palm oil and work it in thoroughly. It is not a dressing poured over at the end; it is what makes the meal loose enough to eat.
- Season with salt and serve warm with palm nut soup poured over, with smoked fish and avocado alongside.
- It is the ceremonial dish of the Ga people, eaten at Homowo, the harvest festival in Accra, whose name means hooting at hunger.
- At the festival it is sprinkled through the streets by the traditional priests and elders as an offering before anyone eats.
- It is called kpekple as often as kpokpoi and both names are correct.
Technique
- It is intimately tied to Homowo and is rarely made outside that season.
- Palm nut soup is the fixed accompaniment and the two are not separated.
- Fermented corn dough is sold in African grocers and saves the two-day wait.
Substitutions
- Ready-made fermented corn dough from an African shop.
- A little annatto oil if palm oil is unavailable, accepting a different flavour.
Variations
- With more cornmeal, for a drier meal.
- Made without palm oil, as a plain steamed corn meal.
- With smoked fish worked through it.
History
The Ga festival dish of Homowo, sprinkled through the streets of Accra by chiefs and elders to remember a famine the people survived.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kpokpoi?
Kpokpoi is a main from Ghana: steamed fermented maize meal loosened with palm oil, eaten with palm nut soup. The Ga festival dish of Homowo, sprinkled through the streets of Accra by chiefs and elders to remember a famine the people survived.
How long does Kpokpoi take to make?
Kpokpoi takes 20 min plus 2 days fermenting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kpokpoi?
Yes, within limits. Ready-made fermented corn dough from an African shop. A little annatto oil if palm oil is unavailable, accepting a different flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kpokpoi?
Rub it into loose crumbs rather than a paste. Kpokpoi is a steamed granular meal, not a dough, and lumps stay raw in the middle.
