Adalu(Beans and Corn Pottage)
Overview
Adalu is a simple, satisfying Yoruba one-pot meal made from cowpeas and fresh corn cooked together until both are tender, then seasoned with palm oil, peppers, crayfish, and onions. The name means mixture in Yoruba, and the combination of beans and corn creates a complete protein source that has nourished Yoruba communities for centuries. The dish is everyday home cooking at its most practical, ingredients that are readily available, inexpensive, filling, and nutritionally complete. Fresh corn on the cob gives Adalu a natural sweetness that dried or canned corn cannot replicate, and when the corn is in season, this is one of those dishes that needs nothing else alongside it.
AFN Heritage Note
Adalu is rooted in the agricultural traditions of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria, where cowpeas and maize have been cultivated together for generations. The combination of legumes and grains to create a complete protein is a nutritional strategy found across West African food cultures, and in Yoruba cooking, Adalu is the clearest expression of this principle.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Remove the husks from the corn and wash each one. Using a knife, neatly and carefully scrape the corn off the cob; beginning from the top to the bottom and into a bowl; then set aside. Parboil the corn for about 15 minutes, drain and set aside.
- 2
Pick through the beans to remove any stones. Soak the beans in cold water for 3 hours. Wash and boil the beans for 20 minutes or till soft, do not season yet. Drain the water, rinse the beans in cold water and set aside. This soaking and pre-cooking process will help reduce the gas inducing elements.
- 3
Place a clean pot on medium heat, heat up oil. Add in onion and fry until slightly brown. Add the crayfish, habanero, salt, bouillon, and half of the fish. Stir and cook until reduced.
- 4
Add 1 cup of water, bring to a boil then add the beans. Once the beans get softer, add the corn, stir and reduce the heat. Cook for about 10 minutes; then stir in the dry pepper, the remaining fish and the coconut oil. Check for seasonings, stir, cover and set aside
- 5
Serve with Stir fry fish sauce and/or plantain
Reviews
2 reviews
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I could not get fresh corn on the cob at the supermarket here so I used two bags of frozen sweet corn instead. Adding that splash of coconut oil right at the end gave it such a rich aroma, brought me straight back to Lagos. My husband and kids ate everything sha.
That step of soaking and draining the beans first really works o, no stomach bloating at all afterwards. I used palm kernel cream like you suggested instead of regular palm oil and plenty of smoked catfish. Tasted just like my grandmother's own in Ogun state.