Massa

Ingredients

Batter

• 400 grice, soaked, or 400 g rice flour
• 100 gmillet flour, if wanted
• 1 tspinstant yeast, or 3 tbsp batter from a previous batch
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 500 mlwarm water, approximately

Sometimes added

• 1/2 tspbicarbonate of soda, just before frying
• 1/2 tspgrated nutmeg

For cooking

• groundnut oil, or palm oil

To serve savoury

• a hot pepper sauce
• a tomato and onion relish

To serve sweet

• sugar, to dust
• honey

Equipment

• a dimpled cast-iron pan, or a small heavy frying pan

Directions

1. Rinse the rice several times and soak it overnight in cold water. Drain it and grind it with just enough water to make a thick batter. Mixing the batter is done the night before. Put the ground rice or the rice flour in a large bowl. Add the millet flour if you are using it. Whisk in the yeast, the sugar and the salt. Add warm water gradually while whisking.
2. Whisk it until it is completely smooth with no lumps. It should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Cover the bowl with a cloth rather than a lid. Leave it at room temperature for eight to twelve hours. It should rise, bubble and smell pleasantly sour.
3. Taste it: it should be tangy rather than sharply sour. Discard it and start again if it smells putrid rather than sour. Checking the batter in the morning takes a moment.
4. Whisk it down and check the consistency again. Loosen it with a little warm water if it has gone too thick. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda now if you want extra lift. Add the nutmeg at this point if you are using it. Heating the pan properly is what stops them sticking.
5. Set the dimpled pan over a medium heat. Let it heat for five full minutes before you start. Pour a teaspoon of oil into each hollow. The oil should shimmer but should not smoke. Spoon batter into each hollow to about three quarters full. They rise as they cook and will overflow if filled to the brim.
6. Cook them for about three minutes on the first side. The underside should be deep golden. Turn each one with a skewer or a small spoon. Cook the second side for two or three minutes. Break one open to check the first batch. The middle should be light and cooked rather than wet. Heat a centimetre of oil in a small heavy frying pan. Drop tablespoons of batter into the hot oil.
7. Fry them for two minutes a side until golden. Draining them keeps them from going soggy. Lift them onto a rack lined with paper. Do not stack them while they are hot. Serve them savoury, with a hot pepper sauce for dipping. They are eaten warm, with the fingers, several at a time.

Technique

• Ferment the batter overnight, which is what gives the sourness and the sponge.
• Save three spoonfuls of batter as the starter for the next batch.
• Fill the hollows only three quarters full, since they rise as they cook.

Substitutions

• Rice flour in place of soaked and ground rice.
• An aebleskiver or takoyaki pan in place of a dimpled cast-iron one.

Variations

• Made with millet flour, which is the northern version.
• Served with a hot pepper sauce, as a savoury breakfast.
• Dusted with sugar, as a sweet snack.

History

A Hausa and Sahelian breakfast cake that travelled south into northern Benin with trans-Saharan trade, eaten with pepper sauce or sugar.

Frequently asked questions

What is Massa?

Massa is a breakfast from Benin: small spongy pancakes of fermented rice or millet batter, fried in dimpled pans. A Hausa and Sahelian breakfast cake that travelled south into northern Benin with trans-Saharan trade, eaten with pepper sauce or sugar.

How long does Massa take to make?

Massa takes 20 min plus overnight fermenting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 30 small cakes. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Massa?

Yes, within limits. Rice flour in place of soaked and ground rice. An aebleskiver or takoyaki pan in place of a dimpled cast-iron one.

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

Whisk it until it is completely smooth with no lumps. It should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Cover the bowl with a cloth rather than a lid. Leave it at room temperature for eight to twelve hours. It should rise, bubble and smell pleasantly sour.