Fufu is one of the most popular swallow foods eaten in West Africa due to its simple recipe, and satisfying starchy taste.
A swallow food is what it seems like — a dish that requires no chewing.
Fufu is also a food that is traditionally eaten with your hands. The sticky texture makes it easy to pick up the other food on your plate and creates a delicious pairing.
Similar to mashed potatoes, it is a smooth and filling side dish that can be served alongside a variety of soups and stews including egusi soup, okra soup, ewedu soup and many more!
It is traditionally made from cassava, also known as yucca, but new variations of the dish incorporate other root vegetables like eba, green plantain, yam and more.
Today, I’ve decided to pair the fufu with okra soup.
If you want to learn how to make both fufu and okra soup, follow the steps below!
Recipe
For Okra Soup
- Season beef with onion, garlic and salt in 4-6 quart pot
- Add water. Bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat for 40 minutes.
- Add oil, maggi cubes, maggi seasoning sauce, red pepper. Boil on medium heat about 12 minutes.
- Stir in okra and boil on medium heat about 10 minutes.
- Serve with fufu.
For Fufu
- Peel the cassava, slice in half lengthwise and remove inner wooden core, and dice.
- Peel the plantain and dice.
- Add everything inside the blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the batter into a pot and stir until a thick, paste-like dough is formed.
- Add a splash of water, cover, and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Stir well.
- Divide into individual sizes and wrap each with plastic wrap.
- Serve with your desired soup or stew.
Ingredients
For Okra Soup
- 20 oz of Okra, cut and defrosted
- 1/2 lb beef steak, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 of onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt, table to taste
- 6 cups water
- 1/8 cup canola oil
- 1 bouillion chicken stock cube
- 3 tbsp Maggi seasoning sauce
- 1 dash of red pepper to taste
For Fufu
- 1 Yucca root cassava
- 1 plantain, green
- 1/4 cup water (add more as needed)
