Fufu ne nkwan
Fufu and Light Soup
Pillowy cassava and plantain fufu in a fiery, peppery tomato broth.
- Total time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Takes patience
A Sunday classic. Light soup is a thin, clear, pepper-forward broth with tender meat or fish, and it is the perfect partner for soft, stretchy fufu. Eat it by pinching off a small piece of fufu, dipping it, and swallowing without chewing.
Ingredients
Light soup
- 1 kg goat meat, chicken or fish, cut into pieces
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 2 onions
- 2 to 3 scotch bonnets
- 1 inch ginger and 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp dried basil or 1 tbsp fresh African basil (nunum)
- 1 tsp ground dried fish or smoked fish (optional)
- Salt and stock cube, to taste
- 4 cups water
Fufu
- Fufu flour (cassava and plantain blend) or 1 kg boiled cassava and green plantain
- Hot water, as the packet directs
Method
- 01
Season the meat with half the onion (chopped), ginger, garlic, salt and a stock cube. Add 1/2 cup water and steam in a covered pot for 15 minutes.
- 02
Add the water and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes until the meat is tender (goat takes longest).
- 03
Blend the tomatoes, remaining onion and scotch bonnets. Pour into the pot.
- 04
Simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil and the smoked fish if using. Taste for salt and heat.
- 05
Make the fufu: whisk the flour into cold water to make a smooth paste, then cook on medium heat, stirring hard with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 15 minutes until thick, glossy and stretchy.
- 06
Dip a wet bowl in water, scoop in the fufu and shake into a smooth round ball.
- 07
Ladle soup and meat around the fufu and serve hot.
Kitchen tips
- Do not boil light soup hard once the tomatoes go in. A steady simmer keeps it clear.
- Keep your wooden spoon wet when stirring fufu so it does not stick.
- A pinch of grated ginger at the end brightens the broth.
Cooking abroad?
Instant fufu flour is a great shortcut. Look for a plantain or cassava blend at African grocery stores.
