Nigerian fufu recipe
Nigerians eat variety of foods and most of them are enveloped under group terms like swallows, grains, cereals, whole foods, etc. Our concentration will be on this swallow—fufu. If you have had fufu before, you’d agree that it is one of the most delectable swallows in Nigeria. It has a distinctive taste, color, and texture. For very meticulous people that love to have their foods made by themselves, this content is for you! We will be studying the Fufu Nigerian food recipe.
If you are hearing about this swallow for the first time, here are a couple details you need to know!
- Fufu is very rich in starch.
- Fufu has an almost elastic feel when made correctly
- Fufu has a color that ranges from yellow to a very pale white.
- It cannot be eaten alone. You have to make alongside Nigerian soups like vegetable soup, okra soup, or any other soup that tickles your taste buds.
- You don’t have to chew fufu. Swallows are foods you just gulp down your throat. Amazing, yes?
Now, let’s dive right into the Fufu Nigerian food recipe! Follow meticulously all of the steps listed below to get a perfectly round and smooth fufu wrap.
1. Fufu is made from cassava. So, you start by using a knife to get the skin off your cassava tuber.
2. After peeling the skin off, wash the peeled cassava tuber under running water.
3. Use your knife to dice your peeled cassava tuber into small shapes that can be processed easily.
4. Pour the diced cassava into a blender and then, allow the machine to work until you have a really nice paste. You should always feel for the texture intermittently. You wouldn’t want to have lumps inside your fufu.
5. Now, place a pot on a cooker at medium heat.
6. Pour in the processed cassava paste into the pot. Then, stir strongly until the paste thickens into a lump.
7. Coat your serving spoon with a very thin film of oil. Doing this will prevent the fufu from sticking to the spoon when it is being served.
8. Now, use the spoon to shape the fufu into small balls. These balls should be wrapped with transparent nylon bags. That way, your fufu doesn’t turn cold quickly.
Fermenting cassava fufu
Now, in some cases, some people prefer to allow the cassava slices to ferment. The fermentation process is as follows;
1. Place the cassava slices in a big bowl
2. Add water generously to the bowl. You have to ensure that the slices are totally submerged in the water.
3. Add two teaspoons of baking soda.
4. Place a lid above the container to provide an air-tight condition for the cassava slices.
5. The lid should remain on the container for about three to five days. To know if your cassava slices have gone through the fermentation process adequately, feel for their texture between your fingers. If they have a soft feel, it means they have been properly fermented.
6. Once that is done, use a sieve to separate the cassava from the water.
7. Use a blender or food processor to convert the fermented cassava peels to a workable paste. Ensure that you do not blend all of the slices at once. The best thing to do is to work in batches, to ensure that you get the right consistency.
8. In case you notice fibers within the paste, pluck them out with your fingers.
9. After removing the fibers, use a cloth to strain the excess water out. At the end of this, you can proceed to cook your fufu.
10. Pour the fermented fufu into a pot and then, add water so that a paste is formed.
11. Now, allow the pot to sit on a cooker with medium heat. Cover the pot and wait for some minutes for the fufu to cook. Another reason this step is necessary is because the cooking allows for the water to mix thoroughly with the fufu.
12. Now, use a turning stick to stir the fufu thoroughly. As you stir the paste, you would notice that it gets thicker with time. The color also changes from a clear white color to a slightly creamy color.
13. You can now serve the fufu into wraps.
Fufu ingredients
The Fufu Nigerian food can be made to include several ingredients. Whatever ingredient you choose to use depends on your taste. What kind of flavor do you want to incorporate into your fufu? If you are someone that chews their swallow before swallowing, you might want to add in some ingredient that spices up the taste.
Another thing you need to know is that fufu does not necessarily have to be made with cassava as the base ingredient. Fufu can be made from anything, and here also, we will look at those other things.
1. Cassava (This ingredient is the base ingredient for Cassava fufu)
2. Baking soda (This is needed if you like your fufu made from fermented cassava slices)
3. Tiger nut flour (If you are going to use this flour as the base for your fufu, ensure that you add in some binding agent. An example is Semolina flour)
4. Green Plantain flour
5. Ripe bananas (This ingredient is usually added to the cassava fufu for taste)
6. Yam (This ingredient is also added to the cassava fufu)
7. Olive oil
8. Freshly ground pepper for taste
How to make Fufu Nigerian food
In this section, we will be adding in a couple more ingredients to our base cassava fufu. For tips on how to make that kind of Fufu Nigerian food, follow the steps outlined below;
1. Peel off the skin from your cassava tuber
2. Boil your cassava until it is soft.
3. Set your cooked cassava aside after straining it from the cooking water.
4. Now, get a bunch of ripe plantains. Peel off the skin and then, slice the plantain into bits.
5. Once you are done, add the cooked cassava and the plantain to a mortar.
6. Pound the two until you get a really smooth and consistent texture. You could also use a food processor to give the two ingredients a good mix.
7. After the step above, place the mix into a pot. Add a little bit of water. You could also add a spoon of olive oil if you wish. It would eventually help with the texture of your fufu. Cook the mixture for about ten minutes.
8. After cooking, proceed to turn the mix with a wooden turning stick until you get a really smooth result. Stop stirring when the fufu has the right consistency.
9. Serve your fufu balls with any soup of your choice.