Fufu (Swallows)

By Yewande Komolafe

Updated March 11, 2021

Fufu (Swallows)
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist:Simon Andrews.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(552)
Comments
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Making swallows can be a labor of love. Throughout West Africa, swallows, which are a satisfying accompaniment to vegetable soups and stewed meats, are traditionally prepared by pounding cooked starchy roots or tubers in a large mortar with a heavy pestle. As the vegetables break down, hot water is added and the mixture becomes stretchy and soft, with a texture like yeast dough. All swallows are not fufu, but fufu is the term commonly used in the diaspora to describe the method in this recipe: continuous cooking, stirring and kneading turns finely milled starch into a smooth, elastic mass. The result, like that of the classic method, is notably neutral in taste and always served warm.

Featured in: A Practical Guide to Swallows, the Heart of Many Cuisines

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings
  • 1cup yam, cassava, cocoyam or plantain flour (see Tip)
  • Vegetable soups and stewed meat, such as efo riro, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

169 calories; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 34 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour 3 cups of water into a medium pot and make a slurry by stirring in the flour all at once with a wooden spoon. Set the pot over medium-low heat. Cook the batter, stirring continuously as it thickens and begins to form a dough, 4 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Reduce the heat to low and fold the batter over itself, smoothing out any lumps as you fold. You should have a thick and chalky-looking dough at this point. Continue to cook while folding until the dough begins to stiffen and pull away from the sides of the pot, and a thin film forms on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Spread the dough across the bottom of the pot, then use the wooden spoon to poke a few deep indents on the surface. Pour ¼ cup of water around the edges and over the top of the dough.

  4. Step 4

    Cover and cook without stirring until the dough is heated through, translucent and all the starchy granules have absorbed the water, 6 to 8 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Remove the lid and mix until a smooth, slightly glossy and sticky dough forms. If the dough is too firm, you can add up to ¼ cup additional water. It should be soft and somewhat pliable, but not runny. Remove from heat, cover and let sit to set and cool slightly, at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Form the mixture into spheres to serve: Fill a bowl with water and dip a large serving spoon to wet it, then scoop the dough. Press the scooped dough in the spoon against the side of the pot to shape the dough into a round, then transfer to a shallow bowl. Repeat with the remaining dough to form 2 to 3 more spheres, dipping the spoon into the water before each scoop. Fufu and swallows are typically served with a vegetable soup, such as efo riro, egusi soup or okra soup, and topped with any stewed meats.

Tip
  • Yam, cocoyam or plantain flours are powdered starches made from dehydrating and finely milling the whole ingredients. You can find several brands available online or in the dried foods section of West African or Caribbean markets.

Ratings

4 out of 5
552 user ratings
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Comments

cook in london

I’d love to see a video with the recipe writer taking us through each step.

Pozole person

White bread is also “notable neutral” and low in nutrients. Taste is cultural and personal. Thanks for the recipe. Agree with other comments that a video would be really helpful to understand the technique.

amy wilentz

In Haiti I had this. It’s known there as tomtom, I think. It is, as the recipe says “notably neutral.” A Haitian friend told me that the dough balls are meant to add substance to your soup, which when I had it in Haiti was calaloo. The soup was delicious but the tomtom were very strange to me. My friend had the soup every Sunday when he visited with his mother. He showed me how to have a swallow of the dough with every spoonful of soup. It was good to try.

Gary V

Interesting. There is a Nigerian/West African grocery store down the street. They have powdered Cassava. If I am not mistaken, it is something called "Garri", which I am learning from this recipe, a swallow? This blog confirms it: https://cheflolaskitchen.com/garri/

df

I wouldn't say it's flavor neutral. I just had some from a Nigerian restaurant and it had the faint taste of mashed potatoes. I loved it.

Bobbi

I ate a lot of fufu while in West Africa. The closest food in the US for taste/texture is grits made with only water and no salt. Fufu was used to stretch the nutritional value of a meal in areas where meats and even most veggies are so expensive that they become just flavorings.

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