Tubaani

Northern Ghana's steamed cowpea cakes: a batter of bean flour whisked light, wrapped in leaves and steamed, then eaten under ground pepper, onions softened in hot oil, and salt

Origin: Tamale & Northern Ghana

From the journey of Cowpea.

Tubaani is the steamed cowpea cake of northern Ghana, a dish of the Dagomba, the Mamprusi, and the Gonja, and of the Zongo quarters, the northern and largely Muslim neighbourhoods of the southern cities, where it is sold from basins at the roadside. It is made from cowpea flour rather than from soaked beans: the flour is whisked with water and a little potash into a smooth batter, beaten until it lightens, then wrapped in leaves and steamed until it sets. The traditional wrapper is the broad, aromatic leaf of Thaumatococcus daniellii; banana leaves serve as well, and many cooks now use small bags or foil. It belongs to the same family as Nigeria's moin-moin, but it is plainer and firmer, because the batter is not ground with peppers and oil, and the flavour is added at the table. Each cake is unwrapped, sliced, and dressed with ground dried pepper, sliced onions softened in hot oil, and salt, sometimes with a spoonful of shito, the black pepper sauce of Ghana, or a boiled egg. The potash, kanwa, is there to help the batter lighten and set. Few dishes stand closer to the cowpea's beginnings. The oldest domesticated cowpeas yet found anywhere, charred seeds dated to about 1800 BCE, come from rock shelters of the Kintampo culture in the centre of Ghana, a little south of the country where tubaani is made.

Ingredients

Batter

300 g cowpea flour (black-eyed bean flour, sometimes sold as 'beans flour')
0.25 tsp kanwa (potash), crushed, or 0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
420 ml water, approximately

To Wrap

12 pieces of banana leaf about 20 cm square, or Thaumatococcus leaves, or foil

To Serve

5 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp ground dried chilli, or to taste
Salt, and shito or boiled eggs if liked

Method

Crush the kanwa and stir it into 3 tablespoons of the water. Leave it to settle for a few minutes, then pour off the clear liquid and discard the grit.
Sift the cowpea flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the potash water, then the rest of the water a little at a time, whisking, until you have a smooth batter about as thick as double cream.
Beat the batter hard with a whisk or wooden spoon for 5 to 10 minutes, until it turns paler and lighter and holds a few bubbles.
Pass the banana leaves briefly over a flame or dip them in hot water to soften them. Fold each into a cone or a small packet, spoon in 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, and fold the leaf closed.
Set the parcels on a rack or a bed of crumpled leaves in a large pan with 3 to 4 cm of simmering water, cover tightly, and steam for 40 to 50 minutes, topping up the water as needed, until the cakes are firm and a skewer comes out clean.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan and cook the onions gently for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and just beginning to colour. Stir in the ground chilli and a pinch of salt and take the pan off the heat.
Unwrap the cakes, slice them, and spoon over the onions and their oil. Serve with shito or a boiled egg if you like.

Notes

Cowpea flour is sold in African grocers. To make your own, soak dried black-eyed peas for an hour, rub off the skins, dry the beans completely, and mill them as finely as you can. Tubaani keeps for a day in its wrapper and can be re-steamed for 10 minutes.

The Gastrographer

Name: Tubaani
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Tamale & Northern Ghana
Ingredients: 300 g cowpea flour (black-eyed bean flour, sometimes sold as 'beans flour'); 0.25 tsp kanwa (potash), crushed, or 0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp salt; 420 ml water, approximately; 12 pieces of banana leaf about 20 cm square, or Thaumatococcus leaves, or foil; 5 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil; 2 onions, thinly sliced; 2 tsp ground dried chilli, or to taste; Salt, and shito or boiled eggs if liked

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control