Djenkumé — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A thick, savory paste of corn flour cooked slowly in a rich tomato and palm oil sauce, sometimes enriched with fish or crab.

Ingredients

400g corn flour
6 large tomatoes, blended
1 large onion, diced
3 tbsp palm oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 cups water
Salt to taste

Instructions

1 Heat palm oil in a heavy pot, sauté onion and garlic 4 minutes until soft.
2 Add blended tomatoes and pepper, cook 12 minutes until reduced and oil separates.
3 Gradually sprinkle corn flour into the tomato sauce while stirring vigorously.
4 Add water gradually, continuing to stir to prevent lumps forming.
5 Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes until thick and pulling from sides.
6 Serve hot, shaped into a mound, with grilled fish or fried plantains alongside.

Did You Know?

Djenkumé gets its distinctive orange-red color from the marriage of palm oil and tomatoes, making it one of the most visually striking dishes in Togolese cuisine.