How to prepare banku with cassava dough

Generally, it is not common to prepare banku using solely cassava dough due to several reasons. Some of these reason include:

i) The banku becomes too starchy.

ii) It is hard to obtain a hard banku at times.

These reasons among others account for the reason why it is not common to use cassava dough as a stand-alone in preparing banku but widely it is added to either corn dough or corn flour to prepare banku and akple respectively. The addition of cassava dough to the mixture helps to get a smooth sweet-scented banku which makes swallowing easier. It also extends the life span of the food making it stay a bit longer before it spoils. This post explores how to use cassava dough in preparing banku and getting the best out of it even though it is not widely used.

Learn how to prepare banku and akple here

Procedure

Pour cassava dough into a cooking pot or saucepan and add a little water. If the dough is too watery, very little water is used but if the water from the dough has been extracted, then the water is added as appropriate. This ensures that the banku has a good texture and solidity. If the mixture is very watery from the onset, the banku will become extremely soft making it very difficult to eat especially when it is hot but it is better to make the mixture very thick so that as the banku is cooked and it is found that it is hard, water can be added to make it the right way as needed.

This is now mixed very well into an even consistency free of any lumps and then salt is added. The mixture is then put on fire and stirred with the banku stick.

The dough mixture is stirred slowly over the heat and it gets to a point where it begins to harden and the very whitish colour of the dough begins to change. At the point, the mixture is cooked as banku very well. The banku must be allowed to stay on fire for a reasonable time so that it cooks very well before consumption. In a case where the heat has not worked on the banku very well before consumption, one major thing that occurs is that it can result in one having a running stomach. 

Another effect is that after a day or two or even less, it begins to give off a bad smell which translated that it will not stay long before spoilage.

Difference between Ghana and Togo banku

Provided the fact that Ghana shares a border with Togo to the east, both countries have this food in common but there is a bit of difference between how the food is loved or enjoyed in both countries. Banku or akple happens to be one of the widely consumed foods in the country just like in the Volta Region of Ghana whilst other regions are not exempted.

In Ghana most people prefer banku or akple to be hard or just a bit hard whilst the rest like it soft but in Togo, most of the time, their banku is loved when it is very soft. This kind of banku is normally enjoyed with 'ademe soup' which is prepared very heavy and rich in meat, fish and more. This kind of very soft banku can be hard to eat when very hot as it sticks to the roof of the mouth and times and it hurts.

How to soften banku or akple

To cater to this issue when cooking akple, a portion of the porridge of the food is fetched and put aside before corn flour is poured into the rest. Doing this helps to add this to the banku in case it becomes too hard. After it is added, it is mixed very well with the akple and covered for the heat to work on it well. When this porridge is not used too, it is kept for the next day's meal. On the other hand, when preparing either banku or akple and when the food is almost ready before it is realized that it is too hard, either hot water or cold water can be added a little to soften it. With the use of cold water, when added, it must be covered to heat well before cooking to ensure the food is well cooked. Inexperienced cooks do not know this and the result is having banku called in the Ewe Language as 'akple gborgbor' which means akple that is not well cooked. If this happens, it can be hard to eat the food and enjoy it.

Use of leftover banku or akple

With akple which uses corn flour, the leftover akple or banku is mixed with water into a smooth consistency as the base porridge and in the case of banku using corn dough or cassava dough, the leftover one is mixed together with the dough. This way the leftover food is not thrown away as waste. 

However, when the food is well kept in a rubber, it can be heated the next day and eaten without any issue at all. Some people naturally do not eat leftover banku which is the reason why a use such as this as has been elaborated above is deduced to prevent wastage.