Fufu is a mash of yams or other starches served as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable stews.

To eat fufu, pull a small ball of mush off with your fingers, form an indentation with your thumb and use it to scoop up stews and other dishes. Or place large balls in individual serving bowls and spoon stew around them.

4 to 6 servings
Ingredients

White yams -- 2 pounds Butter -- 2 tablespoons Salt and pepper -- to taste

Method 1. Place the unpeeled yams in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the yams are cooked through and tender. Drain and let cool somewhat. 2. Peel the yams, chop them into large pieces and place them into a large bowl with the butter, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until very smooth. Alternatively, put the yams through a potato ricer and then mix with the butter, salt and pepper. 3. Place the fufu into a large serving bowl. Wet your hands with water, form into a large ball and serve. Variations

Cuban Fufu: use all plantains and mix in some pieces of roast pork or pork cracklings. Add a quick squeeze of lime juice if you like.

Substitute cassava root (yuca) for the yams. Use half yams and half plantains if you like. Simply boil the plantains unpeeled along with the yams. Then peel and mash along with the yams.

Notes

Fufu is made with a wide variety of starches. White yams are most popular in West Africa, sometimes mixed with plantains. Central Africans tend to favor cassava root (yuca). Africans far away from home will sometimes use potato flakes or Bisquick. Other options are sweet potatoes or semolina and ground rice. A variety of flours (rice, plantain) can also be boiled with water to form a starchy mass.

This starchy side dish goes by many names: fufu, fofo, foufou, foutou. In French-speaking countries it is sometimes called cous-cous. The East and Southern African counterpart is ugali.

Fufu has also found its way into Caribbean creole cuisine and was
certainly brought there by imported slaves. It is most often made with plantains or cornmeal and is known as foo-foo, or foofoo. On Barbados it is known as coocoo.

If you have ever seen pictures of African women pounding a large mortar and pestle in a steady rhythm, they are probably making fufu.

Nigerian Efo Riro Recipe

You know that efo situation where the efo sits on one side of the bowl and the water migrates to the other side? that isnt efo riro, If efo riro is made right, you shouldnt have that situation. I cook watery efo every now and again; I crave the saucy stuff especially for rice. This is my authentic efo recipe, for the saucy version see the end of this post. The unique taste of efo riro comes from the use of Locust beans, Bleaching of palm oil and the absence of tomatoes. Ingredients:

Part A

4 Red bell peppers (Tatashe)

1 medium onion bulb 2-3 Scotch Bonnet (Ata Rodo)

Preparation: Combine all of Part A in a blender. Puree until almost smooth. Pour the mixture into a pot, place on medium heat and boil until dried

Part B

1 cup of palm oil 1 medium onion bulb (thinly sliced) 2 Tablespoon blended crayfish 2 cups shredded fish (dried Catfish preferably) Washed and de-boned Parboiled meat (Goat meat or beef and/or Ponmon ) 6-8 pieces 2 tablespoons whole locust beans (Iru) Salt to taste cup red prawns (head removed) 2-3cube maggi

Part C

3 packs chopped frozen spinach (9oz packs) or enough for 4 cups OR 10 Cups chopped fresh spinach (Efo tete)

Preparation: If using fresh spinach, place the spinach in a bowl, add teaspoon of salt, cover with boiling water and place a lid over the bowl. Allow to rest for 15-20mins. Rinse out the spinach and squeeze out all excess water. Directions:

Place a large pot over medium heat, add in the palm oil. Bleach the oil for 5 minutes. Add in the sliced onions and fry until lightly browned Add in the end result of part A and the left over ingredients in part B. Cover and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes (The palm oil will float to the top when the sauce is ready). Add in the spinach, combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning, leave to simmer for another 10minutes.

Variations:

Saucy Efo : Check out this efo recipe or simply rinse and use the fresh spinach in Part C and leave some water in part A.