Kuka, the green powder ground from dried baobab leaves reminds me of Japanese Matcha.
Bright and earthy, it commonly features as an ingredient in Dan Wake where it is combined with bean flour and shaped into dumplings. Served with a pepper sauce, I can imagine the texture of chewy cut by the spice, so monotony never stands a chance.
Originally from Niger, Dan Wake has now been adopted as a main staple across the northern part of Nigeria. This meal is rich in protein,vitamin c as well as other nutritional elements such as alpha and beta carotene, potassium, calcium, glutamic acid, mucilage just to name a few; Dobby’s Signature
I had left over masa batter, and kuka and a deep longing for both and so rather than the traditional danwake mix, I used this.
No kuka has serious thickening powers. The first batch where I combined a cup of masa dough with a quarter cup of the green powder was so stiff, I could hardly stir.
That ended up in the bin and my second attempts were approached rather carefully. I added a scant teaspoonful to the liquid batter and though it thickened, it was just alright to form my dumplings.
My goat meat pepper soup was ready, a bit more liquid than normal.
Using a spoon, I scooped tiny bits of batter, shaped like quenelles and gently flicked them into the simmering liquid where they thickened and stiffened.
When I was all done, I let them cook for 5 minutes and then turned off the heat and served myself a bowl of some soup and dumplings.
Perfect for the cold weather which, ladies and gentlemen has come to stay.
Just perfect.
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