Fun with Fufu

We had a lot of fun with last night's dinner, and I just couldn't wait until Friday to post photos of it!

While shopping in a small African grocery store, we came upon a box of fufu mix.

I'd never had fufu before, and am always up for trying something fun and new. Fufu is a staple of African (especially West and Central African) cuisine, and can be made with different starches, specifially cassava and yam.

Here is a link to the Wikipedia article describing Fufu:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fufu

Here is a picture of cassava that I found on the web:

Fufu is usually eaten with a "sauce"- a thick stew that you scoop up with the fufu. I tried to think up a good recipe for a sauce for dinner. I came up with this recipe that came out really delicious. I am totally ignorant of West African cuisine, but I tried using ingredients that might plausibly be authentic.

Bazu's Groundnut Stew (vegan)

Ingredients:

peanut oil for sauteeing
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 medium carrots, diced small
2 medium potatoes, diced small (I didn't have any on hand, but I'm sure sweet potatoes would be fabulous here as well)
1 cup sliced okra (I used frozen)
2/3 cup corn (I used frozen)
1 small-medium chilli (to taste) chopped
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2/3 large can crushed tomatoes (about 18-20 oz.)
1/4 cup raw peanuts
1/2 cup groundnut paste (natural peanut butter ;-)
2 TB coriander
dash jerk seasoning
dash red pepper flakes
salt and freshly gound pepper to taste
water as necessary to adjust thickness

Directions:

• heat peanut oil in a heavy pot and add onions to sautee over med-high heat
  
• once onions are starting to get translucent, add carrots, potatoes, and chilli
• add all the spices and sautee for 5-6 minutes
• add okra and corn
  
• meanwhile, roast peanuts in a toaster oven or stovetop until fragrant
• add peanuts to vegetables
• turn heat as high as possible without burning vegetables
  
• once pot is hot, add diced and crushed tomatoes- it is important for the tomatoes to cook at very high heat and caramelize for authentic flavor
• stir constantly, making sure the tomatoes do not stick to sides of pan
• once tomatoes have cooked for a few minutes, add peanut butter and stir until combined
• at this point the stew should be really thick. Add a bit of water if necessary.
• Let mixture come to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 45 - 60 minutes

Eat with fufu or the starch of your choice!



Now on to the scary part- making the fufu! I realized that making fufu out of a box is probably no better than making mashed potatoes out of a box, and that this would be so much better if mashed from boiled cassavas or yams. But this was a first time, so it was fun and interesting no matter what.

To the powder,



we added some boiling water and created this crazy mash



Then Daiku and I both attacked it, pounding with wooden spoons until it resembled a smooth dough. Now, we know that fufu is meant to be served in ball shapes for everyone at the table to tear little pieces off. But how to make this hot, sticky dough into a ball? According to the Internet, you just shake it and it forms itself into a ball. Would this work?...

Here is Daiku shaking the pan vigorously





Would you believe it? It really did turn into a neat little ball!

We had so much fun dipping pieces of fufu into the stew and eating with our hands. The fufu had a very mild flavor- nothing too exciting, but the excitement was in trying something new!





We both really liked the stew. It was thick and hearty, and the peanut butter didn't taste like peanut butter but instead added a rich savory flavor. You all should try it!

Here is a shot of Bijou the cat trying to sneak her way closer to the food- we see you!



I have always dreamed of visiting West Africa, especially Senegal. Hopefully someday I'll blog about eating authentic fufu on a voyage!

Fun with Fufu