Recipe: Fufu
Fufu (“foofoo” or “foufou”) is a traditional dish that plays an important role in the cuisines of various West and Central African countries. With the growing popularity of African cuisines worldwide, fufu is becoming better known outside Africa. It is increasingly being served in African restaurants in cities such as London, New York and Amsterdam. Want to make fufu yourself? With this recipe, you can make this authentic African dish at home.
Fufu is made by processing a combination of cooked and pounded ingredients such as cassava and green plantains into a smooth, elastic dough. Traditionally, you eat fufu with your hands. You break off a small piece, shape it into a ball and dip it into a soup or sauce.
Sticky cassava ball
Derk-Jan: ‘You see fufu everywhere on the outskirts of Lagos, on the small dusty squares, recognizable by an African mama pounding cooked cassava with a wooden stick, releasing enzymes and creating a sticky cassava ball. It is more convenient to make fufu with fufu flour and water; you get the same sticky ball as a result. I order it from globalfoodhub.com. From this ball, you pick off pieces with your right hand, dip them in the peanut sauce and then scoop up the mackerel with them.’
How to make fufu
- Prepare the fufu according to the instructions on the package. In addition to the flour, you will need water and salt. Shape it into 4 balls of equal size and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- Sprinkle the mackerel with salt, the lemon zest and juice, the cane sugar and the chili pepper. Wrap them in aluminum foil and roast them in the center of the oven until cooked. The time depends on the size of the mackerel, so check once in a while to see how far along they are and trust your instincts.
- Meanwhile, prepare the peanut sauce. Heat the sunflower or coconut oil and gently fry the onion and garlic. Add the peanut butter and sambal, followed by just enough water to create a nice flowing sauce. Season with stock cubes and soy sauce.
- Remove the mackerel from the oven and remove the aluminum foil. Serve the mackerel, removed from the bone, with the fufu and peanut sauce. Sprinkle with the celery, fried onions and egg.
Café Marseille Cookbook
Find more special dishes in the cookbook Café Marseille. This is not a cookbook as you know it. It is a journey through eight port cities, an account of Derk Jan’s culinary adventures as a ship’s cook, in which he repeatedly lost himself—and found himself again—in a tangle of ingredients, aromas and memories.
Title: Café Marseille
Author: Derk Jan Wooldrik
Price: €35
Publisher: Carrera
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