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Like a Mexican tamale, but without filling, koki corn is a typical Cameroonian delicacy made from fresh corn that has been crushed and cooked in either banana leaves or corn husks.
This article will demonstrate how to prepare this delectable steamed corn cake using tin foil instead of husk or banana leaves.
What is Koki Corn?
Koki Corn is a traditional Cameroonian meal. It is characterized by its yellow colour which comes from red palm oil and its sweet taste which comes from fresh corn.
This dish is cooked in West Africa, predominantly in Cameroon during the rainy season because of the abundance of fresh corn.
Corn is a staple food in the West African region, and steamed corn recipes are commonly eaten.
Corn moimoi, ekoki, and okpo oka are Nigerian examples which are similar to this Cameroon recipe.
The differences between koki corn and these Nigerian dishes are that it is very simple and uses only a few ingredients.
The sweetness of the corn and the savory flavours of the added ingredients work well together to create an amazing tasting dish, which is suitable for vegetarians
Koki Corn Recipe
There are so many ways to make koki corn, but I like to keep it short, simple, and sweet. I say it is short, simple, and sweet because you can make it with only four ingredients – fresh corn, cornmeal, spinach, and palm oil.
A few notes about the ingredients…
- Fresh or frozen corn – Fresh corn on the cob is the key ingredient for koki corn. You can substitute fresh corn with frozen corn. 1 ear of medium size corn roughly equals ¾ cup of frozen corn.
- Wrap: Corn husk or banana wraps are traditionally used for this recipe and are preferred if you can find them. If not, aluminum foil works well. If the mixture is loose, you may need to wrap it in cling film before wrapping in the foil.
The recipe is quite easy though it might be a little labor of love. All you need to do is cut some corn off the cob.
Then you coarsely grind the corn mix with some ingredients, wrap, steam and enjoy your life! Who wants to eat some Koki Corn?
You can serve this dish as a meal on its own or with a protein of your choice: chicken, meat.
Be Sure to Try These Other Cameroon Dishes!
Be sure to recreate this incredible delicacy. Enjoy!
KOKI CORN
Ingredients
- 4 Cups fresh corn
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- ¾ Cup palm oil
- 1 cup teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup teaspoon salt
- 1 maggi
- ½ Onion
- 1 pepper
- 4 – 6 bananas leaves – warmed over a flame
Instructions
- Pour palm oil into a skillet to warm for a few minutes (about 2-3 minutes). Do NOT bleach it.
- Pour the corn, onion and hot pepper into a blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of water and blend or process into a coarsely ground paste. Note that you do not want to blend this into a fine paste. You should still be able to see bits and pieces of corn when done.
- Pour the ground corn into a bowl, add cornmeal, the heated oil and mix well. Add salt, Maggi then mix.
- Add in the chopped leaves and mix until well incorporated.
- To prepare pot. Line the bottom of a pot with empty cobs of corn. This creates a base that helps prevent water from getting into the Koki Corn. Now pour about half a cup of water into the pot and bring to a gentle boil while you proceed to wrap the Koki Corn.
- When done with wrapping and all the bundles are in the pot, cover them with some more banana leaves (mostly the ones that got torn and were unusable) or aluminum foil. This helps to prevent the steam from escaping during cooking. Place the lidon the pot and cook for about 30 minutes. Every 5-10 minutes, open the pot and add in about half cup of water so it doesn't dry out.
- Let it rest for about 10 minutes when cooked. Then unravel and serve warm.
- Enjoy your yummy koki corn!