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HOW TO MAKE PLANTAIN FUFU

Plantain Fufu – If you like plantains, you will love this fufu recipe. It’s tasty and easy to make. Try it with traditional African soup and stews like egusi soup, okro soup, or efo riro.

Plantain Fufu

Plantain fufu

Plantain fufu is a traditional West-African dish made from green plantains. It is very similar to the traditional West African fufu and can be used as a replacement for it. Plantain fufu is an excellent choice for those looking for a slightly lighter version of the traditional fufu recipe.

Plantain fufu belongs to the food group we call solid/swallow food because they are doughy in consistency so we use our fingers to cut out morsels and use the morsels to scoop the soup/stew before swallowing.

Why Plantains?

Plantains are grain-free and gluten-free and they are a good source of Magnesium, Calcium, and many other nutrients. In fact, it is recommended as a healthy food for diabetes and also helps to improve general body wellness.

Plantain fufu is one you should try out from time to time if you’re looking for an excellent alternative to the traditional fufu recipe made from cassava. You can check more plantain recipes here.

Plantain Fufu

How To Make Plantain Fufu

This meal is really easy to prepare. All you have to do is to peel and cut the plantains into small chunks – this will make blending a breeze. Pour the blended plantain inside a pot and continue to stir until it becomes doughy and stretchy enough to roll into balls or any other shape you desire.

Though, this recipe can also be made using plantain flour – which is flour made by drying the green plantains and grinding it into a fine powder.

I choose to use the green plantains today because that is what I have at home at the moment but if you like you can also use the plantain flour for this recipe. It works just as well. However, I will advise you to buy one that has no preservative in it.

Variant names of fufu include Foofoo, Fufuo, Foufou, Foutou, and many more depending on the part of Africa.

What is Plantain Fufu made of?

Plantain fufu is made with unripe (green) plantains and water.

What does plantain fufu taste like?

Since the plantain used is green and unripe, it is starchy and the flavor is somewhat subtle. That is why you don’t eat it by itself, you need a form of soup or stew to pair with it.

Soups and stews like egusi soup, okro soup, ewedu, ogbono soup, or efo riro pair so well with fufu.

Can I use ripe plantains?

I will not recommend using ripe plantains because the starch has been converted into sugar therefore it will be hard for the plantain to form a doughy solid consistency when cooked.

How long does it take to make plantain fufu?

It takes about 5 minutes on average. A little more time may be required if the plantains you use are on the bigger side.

BELOW IS A VIDEO DEMONSTRATION OF PLANTAIN FUFU:

https://youtu.be/onxmPGFKwOE

Preserving the green plantains

Sometimes, we plan to use the green plantains in our recipes but all of a sudden, they go ripe on us. The best thing to do in order to prevent this is to store them and you will be able to use them anytime you choose to.

Green plantains can be best preserved by freezing them. Simply peel them then put them in a ziplock bag and freeze them. When needed, simply thaw and use as needed.

Plantain Fufu

HOW TO MAKE PLANTAIN FUFU

Plantain Fufu – If you like plantains, you will love this fufu recipe. It's tasty and easy to make. Try it with traditional African soup and stews like egusi soup, okro soup, or efo riro.
4.83 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main
Cuisine: African
Keyword: homemade, local
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 218kcal
Author: Lola Osinkolu

Ingredients

  • 2 Plantains green
  • ½ to ¾ Cup water

Instructions

  • Peel the plantain and cut it into small sizes.
  • Throw in the cut plantain pieces in a blender and blend until smooth
  • Pour the batter inside a pot and cook on medium heat stirring constantly until a stretchy and dough-like consistency is formed.
  • Leave it to cool for few minutes before eating. This will make the Fufu a little firmer.

Notes

You need to stir thoroughly until the fufu is formed otherwise you might end up with lumps
When the fufu is done, cover it or wrap it in a plastic wrap in order to prevent it from forming a crust. Leave it to cool for few minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 2g | Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 893mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 2015IU | Vitamin C: 32.9mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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Recipe Rating




Jeep

Sunday 28th of August 2022

Hi, the recipe doesn't say when to use the water. Is it used in the blender with the plantain or folded into the plantain in the heated pot?

Chef Lola's Kitchen

Sunday 4th of September 2022

Jeep, the water is used in the blender to make the plantain batter. After this, you can pour the batter into the pot and stir. I hope this helps.

Kathryn Gómez

Saturday 19th of February 2022

I come from Trinidad and we have a dish called "pong plantain"actually "pounded plantain" in non Trini English. We boil the plantain in it's skin, green or half ripe and then mash it while still hot with a potato masher or in this day and age I put mine in the food processor. No water required. It looks amazingly like Fufu and since the ingredients are the same I imagine must be either identical or very similar. I have never used Fufu powder, but saw some from Jamaica in the grocery today and was curious as to what it was.Thank you for this, and will try this version, although I love Trini Pong Plantain.

Chef Lola's Kitchen

Friday 25th of February 2022

Thanks for sharing, Kathryn. It's interesting how so similar some cultures from opposite sides of the world can be. I will definitely be exploring Pong plantain now.

Rashidat

Tuesday 5th of October 2021

How can i use the plantain flour to make fufu, am I going to prepare it the way semo is being prepared or the way amala is being prepared

Lola Osinkolu

Wednesday 27th of October 2021

Make exactly like amala. :)

Chea

Friday 26th of March 2021

Good morning, Greetings from the Bahamas. Thanks for your recipe. Seems easy enough to make however prior to finding your recipe today I had purchased a box of plantain fufu flour from my local supermarket I checked the ingredients (after you mentioned to avoid the ones with preservatives) and unfortunately it does have preservatives....should I not use it? And what are the cons if I do? Thanks

Lola Osinkolu

Thursday 20th of May 2021

I wouldn't recommend throwing it away. The preservative is just like the ones you see in your box of cereal and so many other boxed food. You can use it and just watch out some other time when shopping for it.

Maurice Gavros

Tuesday 16th of March 2021

I can not wait to try to make fufu with my daughter. I tried while I was in Ghana a few years ago now we gonna try to make some our selves.