The Rains are upon us in many regions of the world ?. It is no different in South-Western Nigeria; where I live.
The Advent of the rain signifies the advent of Dokunu; ? a staple food of many of the countries of the West African region; Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire , Togo.excluding Nigeria. It is known by other names like; Dokunu, Kenkey and Kormi.
WHERE I GET MY DOKUNU FROM
I have a friend who has both Ghanaian and Togolese ancestry who makes this Dokunu for me. She is so smart, that; despite being illiterate, she is multilingual! She speaks two native Nigerian languages, English, French, along with her native Ghanaian and Togolese languages! ?
WHAT IS DOKUNU?
Dokunu is made principally from Maize. It is eaten with two types of Sauce; a watery pepper stew and deep fried black sauce with fried fish. My friend goes the extra mile and makes **Okro (Okra)(**a kind of slimy soup) to accompany the Dokunu.
She’s so good with it that she makes some to sell when maize is in season.
People will wait a long while just to taste her Dokunu even though many people make Dokunu for sale.
I see in her the Local Guides Spirit and will. If she was literate, I would have introduced her to the program.
If ever you visit me in Nigeria, I will ensure you have a taste before you leave.
THE CLASSIC DOKUNU PLATTER
- Dokunu -a sour dough dumpling made from Maize. According to my friend, the maize has to be soaked for a minimum of 3 days. While the Maize is soaked, the water needs to be changed daily. On the third day, she takes it to the grinders, who grind it into a fine paste. It is prepared in the same way you make custard only that it’s a little more challenging. Yam Flour (the white one; called lafun) has to be mixed while it is being stirred over high heat. After this, the Dokunu is placed in little quantities in the Maize Hulk and left to cook. It takes a lot of time and effort to prepare Dokunu!
- Stew: Made from tomatoes, onions and pepper, only salt and a little vegetable oil is added (no other seasoning) making many people think it is raw pepper. ?
- Hot Pepper sauce: It is the black sauce that is deep fried, I love the taste of this!
- Fried Fish
- Onions: the freshly cut onions sort of offsets the sour taste of the Dokunu
- Okro: this is the green ‘draw’ soup and it is optional.
PICTURE TIME
SERVING
EATING (K’D’N’D’) ? ?
I love Dokunu!
Have you eaten Dokunu?
P.S.:- I made this post with so much "attention to detail" because of MoniDi. ?
MoniDi will be like;
- “Ewaade, have you tried making this at home?”
- “Ewaade, do you eat this daily or switch it up?”
Oh, lest I forget, Often times, I have this for lunch, it must be eaten ‘hot’ too, if it becomes cold, the dumpling becomes very hard, difficult to swallow and becomes a ‘heavy meal’ that fails to digest on time. ?