Fufu

Instructions

1. 1 Season the chicken pieces with salt, half the grated ginger, and garlic. Place in a large pot with six cups of water and bring to a boil. Skim the foam, reduce to medium, and simmer for thirty minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is flavourful.
2. 2 Add the blended tomatoes, onions, and scotch bonnet peppers to the chicken broth. Stir well and bring back to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for twenty minutes until the raw vegetable flavours cook out and the soup turns a bright orange-red colour.
3. 3 Add the remaining ginger, ground crayfish powder, and salt to taste. The light soup should be thin and brothy, not thick like a stew. If it has thickened too much, add more water to maintain the light, soupy consistency that gives this dish its name.
4. 4 To make the fufu, bring four cups of water to a boil in a separate pot. Gradually pour in the fufu flour while stirring vigorously with a strong wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring for ten minutes until a smooth, stretchy dough forms.
5. 5 The fufu is ready when it pulls away from the pot cleanly and has a smooth, slightly glossy surface with no lumps. It should be very stretchy and elastic when pulled. Wet your hands and shape into smooth round balls.
6. 6 Taste the light soup and adjust the seasoning with salt. Add fresh basil leaves if using and simmer for two more minutes. The soup should be clear and brothy with the chicken pieces tender and the pepper heat noticeable but not overwhelming.
7. 7 Place a ball of fufu in each deep soup bowl and ladle the hot light soup around it with pieces of chicken. To eat traditionally, tear small pieces of fufu with the fingers, make a slight indentation, dip into the soup, and swallow without chewing.