Mintumba

Ingredients

The cassava

• 2 kgsweet cassava
• peeled and cut into pieces
• water, for soaking

The binding

• 200 mlred palm oil
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• or to taste

Sometimes added

• 1onion, very finely chopped
• a little ground white pepper
• a hot chilli, finely chopped

To wrap and steam

• banana leaves
• softened over a flame
• string, for tying
• water, for the steamer

To serve

• sliced from the parcel
• with fish or meat stew
• with greens
• at a ceremony

Directions

1. Soak sweet cassava for at least two days. Discard all of that water entirely. Then steam it thoroughly for two hours. Use only sweet cassava for this dish. Soak it properly before grating. Steam it for the full two hours. Do not shortcut any of those steps.
2. Peel the cassava thickly with a knife. Cut down through it with a knife. Take off the pink layer beneath as well. Cutting it is straightforward enough. Cut the peeled cassava into large pieces. Put them into a large bowl or bucket. Cover them well with clean water. Soaking it takes days rather than hours. Leave it to soak for two or three days. It also stops the water going foul.
3. Soak it somewhere cool if you can. Warm soaking ferments faster but can go too far. Cool is slower and more controlled. Drain the soaked cassava thoroughly. Discard all of the soaking water. Never use it for anything else at all.
4. Pour all of that water away entirely. Pull out the fibrous central cord. Discard all of that cord entirely. Grate the softened cassava finely. Fine grating gives a smooth dense cake. Squeeze the grated cassava in a cloth. Press out all the excess water. Wet pulp makes a very soggy cake.
5. Squeeze it firmly but not bone dry. Put the grated cassava in a large bowl. Pour all the palm oil over it. Add all of the measured salt to it. Work it through thoroughly with your hands. Every part should be coloured orange. Work it for several full minutes. Add finely chopped onion if you like. Add white pepper or chilli with it. Judging the mixture takes a squeeze.
6. Squeeze a handful in your palm. It should hold together firmly. Add a little more oil if it is dry. Cut out the thick central rib. The central rib is stiff and will not fold. Discard the rib itself entirely. That takes only a few seconds.
7. Lay a softened leaf flat on the board. Spread a layer of the mixture along it. Shape it evenly along the leaf. Rolling it is straightforward enough. Roll the leaf up around the mixture.
8. Fold the ends over to close it. Use two leaves for each parcel. Tie each parcel firmly with string. Wrap the string along its length. The parcel must hold its shape as it steams. Tie it firmly along the whole log. Put water in the bottom of a large pot.
9. Set a rack or some sticks above it. The parcels must sit above the water. Lay spare leaves on the rack as well. Lay all the parcels on the rack. Cover the pot tightly with a lid. Bring the water to a steady boil. Let them steam for two full hours. The cassava must cook right through.
10. Check it every twenty minutes or so. Add boiling water if it runs low. A dry pot burns very quickly indeed. Steam it longer if the centre is soft. Take the parcels out and let them stand. Give them about fifteen minutes. Slice the log into thick rounds. Serve fish or meat stew alongside. Add cooked greens to the plate. It keeps three days refrigerated. Steam it again briefly to reheat.

Technique

• Cassava contains cyanogenic compounds and this dish is steamed rather than boiled in water, so less leaches out during cooking and the soaking must do that work. Use only sweet cassava, peel it thickly including the pink layer beneath the skin, soak it two or three days changing the water daily and discarding it entirely, then steam for the full two hours. Do not shortcut any of those steps.
• The cassava softens and develops a slightly sour smell as it soaks, which is the fermentation working and is expected rather than a fault; soak it somewhere cool, since warm soaking ferments faster but can go too far.
• Squeeze the grated pulp in a cloth to press out excess water, since wet pulp makes a soggy cake, and work the palm oil through until every part is coloured orange — the oil is what binds the cake, and reducing it gives a dry crumbly result.

Substitutions

• Use two banana leaves per parcel, since palm oil seeps through a single one.
• Finely chopped onion, white pepper or chilli go in in some households; the classic version is cassava, oil and salt alone.

Variations

• It is made in quantity for weddings and gatherings, and the effort of grating is part of what marks the occasion.
• It is shaped into a long log in the leaf and sliced into thick rounds to serve.
• Let the parcels rest fifteen minutes before slicing, since they firm up as they cool and break apart hot.

History

A Beti and Bulu dish of the centre and south, made from grated cassava bound with palm oil and steamed in banana leaves for ceremonies.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mintumba?

Mintumba is a bread & pastry from Cameroon: steamed cake of grated cassava and palm oil, sliced from a leaf parcel. A Beti and Bulu dish of the centre and south, made from grated cassava bound with palm oil and steamed in banana leaves for ceremonies.

How long does Mintumba take to make?

Mintumba takes 1 hour plus soaking of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Mintumba?

Yes, within limits. Use two banana leaves per parcel, since palm oil seeps through a single one. Finely chopped onion, white pepper or chilli go in in some households; the classic version is cassava, oil and salt alone.

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

Soak sweet cassava for at least two days. Discard all of that water entirely. Then steam it thoroughly for two hours. Use only sweet cassava for this dish. Soak it properly before grating. Steam it for the full two hours. Do not shortcut any of those steps.