Name: Cameroon Koki Beans – AFROVITALITYEATS
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 330 min
Yield: 6 People
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups Koki beans; 1 & 3/4 cups warm water; 1-1&1/2 cup palm oil; 1 large Scotch bonnet pepper; salt & maggie taste; Plantain or Banana leaves for wrapping; 1/2 a bunch of spinach chopped

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Today is Koki beans 101 with my mom. This is a favorite in my village and a delicacy here in the diaspora. It takes a little longer than most of the meals I make but trust me, its worth every minute. Three generations present in the making of this dish. Baylee with her new found ability to crawl is trying to get into anything and everything. My mom is giving detailed instructions and I am paying close attention.

When some people say recipes are passed down, its very easy to assume it is written down and handed to you. Growing up I simply learn by being there in the kitchen, keeping a close eye on whatever goes into the pot. And no, I wasn’t sitting there with a piece of paper asking my mother how many cups of water she adds to her stew. Or how many fresh tomatoes, bunches of spinach, sprigs of parsley goes with it. You are there throughout preparation of the meal, passing the salt and other condiments when asked to.

Taste as you go she says! That’s exactly what you should do with this dish. Lots of pictures to show the steps but this is one of those dishes that require more than just reading a recipe.

The BEANS FOR KOKI BEANS

Black eyed peas. If you buy these from an African store, the label will read koki beans. They should be peeled! Please do yourself a favor, pay the extra bucks and get peeled beans. The process of peeling the skin off these beans will add an extra 4-5 hours if you are not familiar with the technique. So tedious it might make you not want to try this. so lets not do that. It really is one to enjoy. Soak beans for at least 3 hours or overnight if possible. Blend with some water until creamy. Feel free to add a scotch bonnet pepper or two for some heat.

At this point, my mom usually brings out the mortar and pestle. She pours this batter into the mortar, grips the bottom firmly with her feet and stirs rapidly. She’ll ask me to jump in and keep going while she preps the wrapping station. Two minutes later you might feel like your arms are about to fall off! That’s when she tells my sister to take over. This makes it fluffy. I know what you’re thinking….Hand Mixer!!!! And yes! Here, I will use that, but back home, its the mortar and pestle.

Then we season

When they say season to taste, take it literally here. We taste the batter , even though uncooked. I’m not saying taste a spoonful. It wont kill you but it probably will not be very palatable. Some salt and maggi to taste. If its not spicy enough you can add some powdered pepper.

Palm oil gives it that rich color. You can use more or less if you want but some is essential for the flavor. Cook until it just starts to smoke. You want to maintain that dark red color. If you cook for too long it starts to loose its color.

Add into the mixture and stir until well incorporated. It helps that the oil is warm. Room temperature or cold palm oil will be much more difficult to work with here.

Stir in some warm water, half a cup at a time until your batter runs as shown. Almost waffle batter. If its too thick, your end product will be a little too firm. Likewise if your batter is too runny, you might end up with a mushy mess. Warm water because you don’t want any oil water separation to occur.

Still looking for coco yam leaves but chopped spinach will do just fine. This gives it some color and adds a different dimension to the dish. “Ankura” is the last bundle tied. This contains more coco yam leaves and traditionally reserved for my father or grandfather.

You can taste and adjust seasoning again before wrapping.

Banana leaves! It took me 10 years to find banana leaves in America!Not a big deal for some but it sure is for me. There is a significant difference between wrapping koki beans in foil versus banana leaves. That being said, you can still enjoy this dish without banana leaves. The joy on our faces when my sister and I discovered banana leaves at a local Mexican store. We grabbed so many bundles you’ll think its a zombie apocalypse and we needed the leaves for shelter!

My mother will harvest large plantain leaves the day she needs them. She removes the thick stalk and then warms the leaves over open flame. This prevents the leaves from tearing during wrapping. The leaves are large enough to wrap without using foil. We use foil in this case to prevent leaks because the leaves are smaller. With the store bought leaves, warm over open flame or steep in very hot water for about 15 minutes.

Wrapping koki beans might seam challenging but trust me its super easy, especially if you are using foil too. You want the batter in direct contact the banana leaves. Not only does this impact a whole new depth of flavor, it makes it a lot easier to peel when ready. Line a large bowl with foil paper. Push down so it almost takes the shape of the bowl. Then add in the banana leaves. Double layers if necessary to avoid any leaks. Add about a cup and a half of the bean batter, carefully pull the sides of the leaves in. Follow with the foil and tightly seal.

Voila! Its all done. All you have to do is cook these bundles and are ready for this protein packed delight. Half way through the cooking my mom with add in some plantains, cocoyams or potatoes to cook alongside the koki beans. This dish brings back some great grand ma memories that really will never be forgotten. For all those who wanted this recipe, I hope you get to try it! Let me know how it turns out on the blog or instagram.