West African cassava and plantain dough balls (Fufu)

1. Peel the cassava (remove both the thick brown skin and the pink inner layer), halve it lengthwise, remove the woody central fibre and cut it into 4 cm pieces.

2. Peel the green plantains and cut them into 4 cm pieces too.

3. Boil the cassava and plantains in the water for 25-30 minutes until easily pierced with a fork; keep 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the rest.

4. While still hot, work the vegetables in batches in a food processor (or traditionally by pounding in a mortar) with a little cooking water into a smooth, elastic, stretchy dough.

5. Knead with wet hands and shape into 4 even, smooth balls.

6. Keep warm wrapped in cling film and serve with soups (egusi, nkatenkwan, pepper soup); pinch off pieces with your fingers and dip them in the soup.

Tip: Fufu is the staple side of Ghana and Nigeria: it isn't chewed, small pieces are swallowed together with the soup. Raw cassava is toxic (it contains cyanogenic glycosides), so always cook it thoroughly and discard the cooking water. If you can't find cassava, potato and plantain give a good texture too.