Foo foo, a staple in West Africa, is unlike any other starchy dish I’ve ever eaten. Traditionally, boiled plantains (or yucca) are pounded in large wooden mortars until they break down into a springy mash with a sticky, stretchy texture. Pieces are then pulled off by hand (you can use a spoon) and then dipped into a sauce, soup, or stew. I like to pull off pieces before serving and drop into Groundnut Stew (page 296).

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　2 tablespoons coarse salt, plus more to taste

　　4 yellow plantains, cut into 2-inch lengths and peeled (page 472)

　　

Step 1

Stir 1 tablespoon salt into a large bowl of cold water to dissolve; add the plantains and let sit for 20 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the remaining salt. Transfer the plantains to the boiling water and cook until very tender, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Remove from the water, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, and put in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, then transfer to a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, sticky, and springy. (Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle. Put in a mortar, season to taste with salt, then pound with the pestle until the plantains become a sticky, springy mass, about 30 minutes.)

　　

Step 4

Pull off walnut-sized pieces with your fingers and serve immediately.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.