Small Chops

Dan Wake

Name: Dan Wake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 200 g cowpea flour (Dehulled bean flour); 100 g commercial food-grade cassava flour (Not raw grated cassava); 1 tbsp kuka powder (Sifted baobab leaf powder); 0.5 tsp baking soda; 0.5 tsp salt; 280 ml water (For the dough; add gradually); 2500 ml water (For boiling); 3 tbsp groundnut oil (For serving); 0.5 tsp ground cayenne pepper (To taste); 2 medium tomatoes (Diced); 0.5 medium red onion (Thinly sliced); 0.5 medium cucumber (Diced)

Soft bean-flour dumplings, brightened at serving with pepper, oil and fresh vegetables. Dan wake is one of the north’s distinctive ways of making beans into a meal. Baobab leaf powder helps bind the dough, while a starchy flour strengthens it. The mild dumplings are usually made lively at the table with oil, pepper and vegetables rather than a heavy sauce. Cultural context: Northern dumplings traditionally associated with Hausa cooking; flour mixtures and accompaniments vary.

Dan wake dumplings with separate vegetables, eggs and condiments

Dan_Wake.jpg by YusufuAM, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

Full source and image record

20 minPreparation

45 minCooking

4Servings

What you’ll need

4 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Mix cowpea flour, cassava flour, kuka, baking soda and salt. Stir in the dough water gradually to make a soft, sticky mixture that holds on a spoon.
2
Bring the boiling water to a steady simmer in a wide pot. With two wet teaspoons, drop in small dumplings about 2 cm across. Work in two batches to avoid crowding.
3
Simmer each batch for 15–20 minutes, stirring gently once they have set. Floating alone does not prove they are cooked: cut one open to check for a uniformly cooked centre.
4
Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain. Toss gently with groundnut oil and cayenne.
5
Divide among bowls and add tomatoes, onion and cucumber. Serve immediately.

A little kitchen wisdom

Use commercial, properly processed cassava flour; wheat flour is an alternative but introduces gluten Keep dumplings small so the bean flour cooks through A hard-boiled egg is a common optional accompaniment and adds an egg allergen Timing: active preparation 20 min; cooking 45 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 65 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: peanuts

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Danwake, Bean-flour dumplings

Northern dumplings traditionally associated with Hausa cooking; flour mixtures and accompaniments vary.

Allergens: peanuts