Fufu? For Christmas? Yes! You can learn how to make Fufu this season and enjoy every bit of this African delicacy with varieties of soups.
It is Christmas time again and lots of Nigerians, especially the Igbos would travel to their various homes to spend the holiday with their family and loved ones at the village.
This is a period to learn how to make native foods especially Fufu that’s why we are here to guide you.
Fufu, is a actually made from Cassava. It is a staple food in many African countries that is made from fermented and grounded starchy cassava roots and is a great side dish to any protein-rich food.
Fufu is a staple food in Most African Countries, particularly Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone and the list goes on. Even some Caribbean countries do enjoy fufu in some form.
If you grew up eating Cassava fufu (other aliases are foofoo, foufou, fufuo, fofo depending on location) then you would be glad to know that, you can make it in the comfort of your home.
How to make Cassava Fufu
The Cassava Fufu is the one Nigerians ate used to. Fermentation softens the cassava and destroys any potentially toxic compounds that are inherent in them and some would undoubtedly say it adds flavor to this starchy root.
Pell off the back of freshly uprooted Cassava. Cut into small portions and soak. Make sure it is fully covered in water. Cover it tightly and leave outside to ferment for a couple of days. Change water daily. After about 4-5 days remove cassava, it should be soft by now.
After that, it can be grinded or you can use a food processor. Sieving follows next.
This could take up to another 24 hours to have all the unwanted water sieved out through a bag.
Now you’re ready to make your Fufu ready to eat.
To ensure it has less carbohydrates, you have to cook twice before the final pounding.
First of all, boil water in a pot, mould the already sieved casava puree into balls and place inside the boiling water. After about 5 mins, bring down, dispose the water and boil a fresh one.
Put the balls inside mortar and pound. As soon as they are even, mould again and place inside the boiling water again.
Bring down after 15 minutes. Pound till it is even and soft to your taste.
Your Nigerian Fufu is ready to be served with any soup, but its best combination are Egusi Soup, Vegetables and Bitter Leaf!