Textual Chef Textual Chef

Kokonte

A traditional West African swallow made from dried cassava flour, cooked into a smooth, dark brown starchy dough. It pairs perfectly with rich soups and stews.

20 minEasyServes 4200 cal/serving

West AfricanDinnerStovetopVeganVegetarianHigh FiberStandardHalal-friendlyKosher-styleGluten-FreeNut-FreeDairy-FreeSoy-FreeEgg-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreeLow-SodiumLow-SugarPork-FreeAlcohol-FreeNightshade-FreeCorn-Free

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 dried cassava flour, sifted
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. 1

    Whisk 2 cups sifted dried cassava flour with half of the cold 4 cups water in a bowl until a smooth slurry forms.

  2. 2

    Bring the remaining 4 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a heavy pot over medium heat.

  3. 3

    Pour the slurry into the boiling water, stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps.

  4. 4

    Cook over medium-low heat, stirring and kneading vigorously against the sides of the pot for 10 to 12 minutes until smooth and dark brown.

  5. 5

    Form into rounded portions with a wet spoon and serve warm.

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

Questions

What is Kokonte?

A traditional West African swallow made from dried cassava flour, cooked into a smooth, dark brown starchy dough. It pairs perfectly with rich soups and stews. This reference files it under West African dinner: made on the stovetop, rated easy and about 20 minutes start to finish.

How much time should I plan for Kokonte?

As written, 20 minutes: 5 of prep and 15 of cooking. The longest single stretch is step 4 (12 minutes): "Cook over medium-low heat, stirring and kneading vigorously against the sides of the pot for 10 to 12 minutes until smooth and dark brown."

Why mix the cornstarch with water first in Kokonte?

Step 1 reads: "Whisk 2 cups sifted dried cassava flour with half of the cold 4 cups water in a bowl until a smooth slurry forms." Dry starch clumps the moment it meets hot liquid. The slurry in step 1 disperses it first, and it only thickens once the sauce comes back to a simmer.

How many calories are in Kokonte?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) is about 200 calories, with 1 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate and 0 g fat, plus 4 g fiber and 290 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

How long does Kokonte keep?

Refrigerate what is left of Kokonte 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 4,530 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.

More West African entries

All West African recipes · All Dinner recipes · All Cassava Flour recipes