Benin

The dish

Akassa is a dough made with fermented cornmeal, similar to polenta. Gbédjédjén is a spicy stew made with beef and hot peppers. I used masa harina and Greek yogurt to get the sour taste of fermented corn.

What we thought

This was surprisingly good for how simple it was, with the spicy stew being a nice contrast to the tangy fermented corn dough. We gave it a 3.7. Although it was good, we wouldn’t make it regularly.

Ingredients and directions

Ingredients

• 1 cup Maseca
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2½ cups cold water
• A pinch of salt

Directions

1. Whisk the Maseca with the Greek yogurt and 1 cup of the cold water until a smooth creamy paste if formed. Whisk until there are no lumps left. Leave this on the counter overnight.
2. Boil the remaining water in a pot with the salt.
3. Turn the heat down to medium-low and then pour the Maseca-yogurt mix into the boiling water while whisking constantly.
4. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, cooking for about 12 minutes. The mixture will turn into a thick paste-like dough.
5. While the dough is hot, divide it into 3-4 portions. Use plastic wrap to form the dough into balls. Once its at room temperature, sever with the stew on top.

Gbédjédjén

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 habaneros or red jalapenos (depending on the spice level you want)
• 5-6 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 cup beef broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Brown the beef, pouring off extra oil. Move the beef to another dish.
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Once hot, add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes until they become translucent.
3. Add the tomato pace, chopped tomatoes, and basil. Cook to reduce the sauce.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the beef back to the pot along with the beef broth and bouillon. Simmer until the stew thickens up.