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Side dish
Alala
Steamed cowpea cake, soft and seasoned with pepper and chilli.
- Category
- Side dish
- Origin
- All of Niger
- Preparation
- 30 min + soaking
- Cooking
- 1 h
- Serves
- 6 people
Alala is a savoury steamed cowpea paste cake, similar to moin-moin. Soft and aromatic, it goes well with porridge, rice or is eaten on its own with a squeeze of lemon.
Ingredients
- 500 g cowpea beans
- 1 red pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 small chilli
- 10 cl oil
- 1 stock cube, salt
- Lukewarm water
Method
- Soak the beans for 2 hours, remove the skins and rinse.
- Blend the beans with the pepper, onion and chilli, adding a little lukewarm water.
- Stir in the oil, crumbled stock cube and salt; the paste should be smooth.
- Divide the paste into oiled moulds or leaves, then steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Check it is cooked with the tip of a knife, leave to cool slightly then cut into cubes.
