One of the most common starchy offerings served with many West African dishes is the ‘fufu’. Various ethnic groups in the region offer their own word for this, but most people will recognise anything called ‘fufu’. There are a variety of starchy vegetables that are used to make it, often plantain, cassava or cocoyam, and whichever version you plump for you’ll find it to be a great gluten-free starch that complements almost any saucy dish or soup. This recipe will use the box of ready-made flour that can be bought in West African stores, of which plaintain is the usually most common [BEST BUY]. This recipe works independent of the box instructions, as many can be very vague and confusing especially if you are new to making fufu. You traditionally make it with water, but if it is your first time making this, its blandness might shock you, so you can use vegetable stock to add a bit more richness to the fufu. This is a good arm workout too, so enlist the strongest arm in your house and you will have a few servings of fufu ready in 10 minutes; you could freeze them too. Some traditions recommend not chewing fufu as you eat it in order to help you feel fuller and satisfied longer, but if you can’t resist that urge, plenty of people in West Africa chew it with great gusto! Let’s go!
