➤ story by AISHA DAVIS
If you’ve spent enough time on the mukbang side of TikTok, you’ve you’ve probably seen it: a steaming bowl of stew, someone pinching off a soft white mound of dough, and the comment section drooling over how delicious it looks, many of them craving something they’ve never even tried before.
This is fufu. A staple of West African kitchens, but now a global curiosity, thanks to all the viral videos. Traditionally, fufu refers broadly to a class of West African starch-based sides—soft, elastic doughs made from cooked and pounded carbohydrates. Across countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast, the ingredients vary depending on what grows locally. Classic versions are made from yam, cassava, plantain, or cocoyam, while other use milled grains like maize, millet, or sorghum. They’re blended together and pounded until smooth and stretchy, forming a neutral, comforting starch designed to scoop up and soak up all the flavors of the dish it’s served with.
Where to Find Fufu Ingredients
Many international supermarkets sell cassava flour or boxed mixes labeled “fufu flour,” and some Asian grocery stores carry the raw roots needed to make it from scratch. But if you don’t live near one of those markets, recreating that soft, scoopable starch can feel like a dead end.
Substituting Potato
Potatoes aren’t a traditional base for fufu, but they share an important quality with the classic ingredients: a high starch content that can be worked into a cohesive dough. With a little help from cornstarch, they can produce a texture that’s remarkably close to the real thing—smooth, elastic, and perfect for dipping.
Below is a practical, pantry-friendly fufu recipe.
➤ photo by FEMOREE / Unsplash
How to Make Potato Fufu
Ingredients:
- 6 medium russet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled
- 3–5 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
Directions:
- Boil the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Add them to a pot of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 15–18 minutes, until the potatoes are completely fork-tender and easily pierced. Drain well.
- Blend until completely smooth: Transfer the hot potatoes to a blender or food processor and puree until perfectly smooth. This step matters—any lumps now will stay lumps later.
If needed, add 1–2 tablespoons of hot water to help the blades move. - Return the puree to the pot: Transfer the potato puree to a clean saucepan over medium heat. Stir in butter or margarine if using.
- Make a cornstarch slurry: In a small bowl, whisk together 3–5 tablespoons cornstarch and ¼ cup cold water until smooth.
- Cook and thicken: Pour the slurry into the hot potato puree and stir continuously. After a minute or two, the mixture will begin to bubble and noticeably thicken.
- Fold and work the dough: Lower the heat to medium-low. Using a sturdy spoon or spatula, begin folding the mixture onto itself, pressing it against the sides of the pot.
This step mimics the traditional pounding process that gives fufu its characteristic elasticity. Continue folding and pressing for 3–5 minutes. - Form the fufu: The mixture will tighten and become glossy. When it starts pulling away from the sides of the pot and forms one cohesive, stretchy ball, it’s ready.
- Serve: Fufu is meant to be eaten with soups and stews. A small piece is pinched off, rolled into a ball, and used to scoop up broth, vegetables, or meat.
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