By Soyoyour Quarcoo Tchire
Fufu is a local dish enjoyed by many Ghanaians despite the drudgery it takes to prepare. There are different varieties of fufu – could be cassava, yams, cocoyams or plantain. The favourite of many Ghanaians however is the cassava and plantain combination. Fufu is an excellent accompaniment to any soup such as light soup (nkrakra), groundnut soup (nkate nkwan), palm nut soup (abenkwan), green vegetable soup (abun abun), egusi soup and more.
However, when paired with a steaming bowl of hot goat soup, it becomes the ultimate combo. Even though this finger-licking meal comes in the powder form, many prefer the pounded or the “tim tim” kind of fufu. We travel to a small village near Obomeng Kwahu in the Eastern Region and we will gist on how fufu is prepared traditionally from a chop bar on CHOPOLOGY
There is a popular saying by the Ashantis that “A man has not eaten a day unless he has eaten fufu.”
Traditionally, fufu is still made by hand, the old-fashioned way, with a mortar (known as wuworduro in Twi) and pestle (or worma), with quick, agile hands whipping and turning the mixture. So let’s take you through the steps in preparing this finger-licking meal. All you need for the plantain fufu is cassava and unripe plantain. Peel the cassava and unripe plantain. Cut them into sizeable bits. Wash them and put into a large pot.
Fill with enough water. In this instance where it is being prepared in commercial quantity, we will cover the upper or top layer with polythene, then jute sack. This will generate enough steam to cook the cassava and plantain on the top layer. Bring to a boil, and cook until cassava is a bit soft. Drain the water from it and let it cool off a few minutes before pounding. Pound the cassava and plantain together until it is properly-mixed and the right elasticity achieved.
It is this pounding action that properly breaks down the fibers into the desired smooth texture. The resulting mixture is a sticky dough which is then made into a ball that looks like it should next be baked. Best served with chevon or hot pepper soup or any other soup of your choice.
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