Ingredients
Cocoyam
- 1.5 kgcocoyam
- taro corms, peeled
- gloves, for handling
The mixture
- 300 gsmoked fish
- flaked, bones removed
- 150 mlred palm oil
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoonground white pepper
- 2scotch bonnet chillies, chopped
- 1stock cube
- 2 teaspoonssalt
- a little water
The wrapping
- banana leaves
- softened over a flame
- or foil and baking paper
- string or leaf strips
To serve
- palm nut soup, banga
- or pepper soup
- hot from the pot
Directions
- Heat then gelatinises that starch. It also keeps without refrigeration. Heat makes it pliable and glossy. That is the sign that it is ready. Cut them into large rectangles. Put on gloves before you start. Peel the corms with a sharp knife. Cut the skin away quite thickly.
- Cut away more than seems necessary. Rinse the peeled corms in cold water. Grate the cocoyam on a fine grater. Work steadily and keep your gloves on. It becomes a wet grey-white pulp. Flake the smoked fish carefully. Check very thoroughly for bones. Discard the head and the backbone. Put the grated cocoyam in a large bowl.
- Add all of the red palm oil into it. Add the chopped onions and garlic. Add the white pepper and the chillies. Crumble the stock cube into it. Add the measured salt to the bowl. Working it together takes effort.
- Mix it thoroughly with your hands. Keep your gloves on for all of this. Work it until the colour is even. It should be a uniform deep orange. Fold the flaked fish through it. Judging the mixture takes a feel. Add a little water only if it is stiff. Cocoyam is wet enough on its own. Add none unless it really needs it. Lay two banana leaves in a cross.
- Spoon a thick portion into the centre. The parcel should be genuinely thick. Fold the sides in over the mixture. Press it into a rectangular block. Shape it deliberately into a rectangle. Tie it firmly with string or leaf strips.
- Tie it in both directions across the parcel. Tie it more firmly than feels necessary. Set the parcels in a large pot. Add water to come partway up them. The parcels should steam rather than boil.
- Bring the pot up to a full boil. Cooking it takes several hours. Cover the pot tightly with a lid. Let it steam for about two hours. Top up with boiling water as needed. Never let the pot boil dry at all. Taste a very small piece once cooked. There should be no itch or prickle at all.
- Steam it on until that disappears entirely. Take the parcels out of the pot. Let them rest for fifteen minutes. They firm up further as they cool. Cut it into thick even slices. Serve palm nut soup alongside it. It keeps three days refrigerated.
Technique
- The bundle is thick and rectangular and looks like a large closed book, which is where the name comes from; shape it deliberately into a rectangle four or five centimetres thick and square the corners, since a thin parcel is a different dish.
- Cocoyam contains needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals that cause itching and burning, so wear gloves for peeling and grating, cut the skin away thickly since the layer just beneath is most irritant, and never rub your eyes. Thorough steaming is what breaks the crystals down: taste a very small piece and any tingle means it needs longer.
- The grated raw starch gelatinises as it steams and binds the whole mass into a firm sliceable block, so no egg or flour is needed at all; the parcel swells as it cooks, so tie it firmly in both directions or it bursts and washes into the water.
Substitutions
- Foil and baking paper stand in for banana leaves, though without the grassy aroma.
- Any smoked fish works, checked very thoroughly for its many fine hard bones.
Variations
- Some cooks add crayfish powder or country spices to the mixture.
- It is served with banga, the palm nut soup, or with pepper soup.
- The chilli level varies considerably between households.
History
A dish of Anglophone Cameroon’s Southwest, wrapped in a thick leaf bundle and served with palm nut soup.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kwacoco bible?
Kwacoco bible is a main from Cameroon: grated cocoyam and smoked fish parcelled in banana leaves and steamed firm. A dish of Anglophone Cameroon’s Southwest, wrapped in a thick leaf bundle and served with palm nut soup.
How long does Kwacoco bible take to make?
Kwacoco bible takes 1 hour of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Kwacoco bible?
Yes, within limits. Foil and baking paper stand in for banana leaves, though without the grassy aroma. Any smoked fish works, checked very thoroughly for its many fine hard bones.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kwacoco bible?
Tie it in both directions across the parcel. Tie it more firmly than feels necessary. Set the parcels in a large pot. Add water to come partway up them. The parcels should steam rather than boil.
