Banku

Name: Banku
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: West African
Ingredients: 2 cups cornmeal (yellow or white); 1 cup cassava flour (gari); 8 cups water; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp butter

A Ghanaian corn and cassava dumpling with a smooth, creamy texture. Traditionally served with fish soup or pepper stew for a complete, satisfying meal.

50 minMediumServes 4240 cal/serving

West AfricanLunchStovetopStandard

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 cups cornmeal (yellow or white)
1 cup cassava flour (gari)
8 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter

Instructions

1

Mix 2 cups cornmeal (yellow or white) with enough 8 cups water to form a smooth paste with no lumps, stirring well.
2

Bring the remaining 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot and add 1/2 tsp salt.
3

Slowly pour the 2 cups cornmeal (yellow or white) paste into the boiling water, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
4

Reduce heat to low and add 1 cup cassava flour (gari) gradually while stirring continuously until the mixture thickens to a porridge-like consistency.
5

Continue cooking and stirring for 15-20 minutes until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot and has a smooth texture.
6

Stir in 2 tbsp butter until fully incorporated.
7

The banku should have a soft, dough-like consistency and creamy flavor. Serve warm with fish soup or pepper stew.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The West African Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

What is Banku?

A Ghanaian corn and cassava dumpling with a smooth, creamy texture. Traditionally served with fish soup or pepper stew for a complete, satisfying meal. This reference files it under West African lunch: made on the stovetop, rated medium and about 50 minutes start to finish.

How do I know when Banku is done?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 4: cook until the mixture thickens to a porridge-like consistency.

Can I make Banku dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in Banku is 2 tbsp butter. Swap the butter for olive oil where it melts, or a plant-based block butter where it is creamed. The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

How many calories are in Banku?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) is about 240 calories, with 5 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate and 2 g fat, plus 1 g fiber and 420 mg sodium.

How do I store and reheat Banku?

Refrigerate what is left of Banku within two hours and eat it within three days. Reheat gently on the stovetop.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.