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Cassava Fufu

Also known as Cassava Fufu (Akpu — Traditional Igbo Method)

This recipe covers the full traditional Igbo method of making Akpu from scratch — fermenting raw cassava over 4 to 5 days before cooking into Fufu. This is the authentic, ancestral process that produces the most flavourful, most deeply textured and most culturally correct Akpu.

Cassava Fufu, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 large whole cassava tuber (or 3 to 4 medium ones)
  • A large bowl or bucket of clean cold water for fermentation
  • Water for the cooking process

Method

  1. 01

    Peeling the Cassava. Peel the cassava and cut into large chunks. Rinse briefly under cold water.

  2. 02

    Soaking and Fermenting. Place the cassava chunks in a large bowl or bucket. Cover completely with cold water. Leave at room temperature for 4 to 5 days, changing the water once on day 3. The cassava will ferment, soften and develop a pleasantly sour aroma. On day 4 or 5, the cassava should be very soft, breaking apart easily when pressed. The longer the fermentation, the more sour the Akpu — 4 days gives a mild sourness, 5 days a more pronounced tang.

  3. 03

    Processing the Fermented Cassava. Drain the fermented cassava. It will be very soft. Using your hands, squeeze out as much water as possible from the fermented cassava. The cassava should now form a wet, fibrous dough. Remove and discard any fibrous strands. Transfer the strained cassava mass to a clean cloth and squeeze further to remove more liquid. The result is a firm, damp cassava dough ready for cooking.

  4. 04

    Cooking the Fufu. Place the cassava dough in a wide pot over medium heat. Using a strong wooden spatula, begin stirring and turning vigorously as the dough heats. It will begin to stick and thicken — keep stirring and pressing against the pot. Cook and turn vigorously for 15 to 20 minutes until the fufu is fully cooked, smooth, elastic and pulling away from the pot cleanly.

  5. 05

    Steaming. Cover tightly and steam on very low heat for 5 minutes. The final Akpu should be smooth, elastic, white to off-white and have the distinctive tangy aroma of fermented cassava. Mould with very wet hands.

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