How to Make Delicious Koki Corn (African Pudding) at Home

A delightful corn dish crafted mainly from fresh corn and cornmeal, combined with spinach and palm oil, then wrapped in banana leaves, baking paper, and foil and steamed to perfection. A fantastic meal by itself!

Koki Corn is one of those vegetarian meals that I truly enjoy. Admittedly, I am a total sucker for anything made with fresh corn, but Koki corn and corn cakes are at the top of my list. 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 I make it with only a few ingredients – fresh corn, corn meal, spinach, salt, onion, scotch bonnet, which is optional, and palm oil. The fresh corn is coarsely ground and mixed with corn meal, spinach, and palm oil, then wrapped either in banana leaves/ baking paper and then followed by foil paper and steamed.

I will also recommend this dish if you are on a detox/diet cleansing. Very nutritious and healthy. This dish is cooked in  West Africa, predominantly in Cameroon, during the rainy season because of the abundance of fresh corn. Here abroad,  you do not have to wait for summer or winter to make this dish because corn is available year-round. Fresh corn or frozen corn will still do a perfect job!

This dish can also freeze very well!

Ingredients

Fresh corn

spinach

cornmeal

palm oil

onion

Maggi cube /salt

option of banana leaves, foil paper /baking paper

Instructions

1. Remove the husk from the corn and, using a sharp knife, cut the kernels from the cob from top to bottom and gather the kernels with their juices in a large bowl. Use the back of a knife to scrape the residual corn from the cobs. Repeat with the remaining corn. Reserve the corn for later use.

2. Using a food processor or blender, pulse the corn with 1 cup of water until it is coarsely ground. You do not want to puree the corn.

3. In a bowl, combine the mixture with cornmeal, salt, and palm oil mixture.

4. Finally, add the chopped spinach and set aside.

5. Cut the banana leaves into rectangles, remove any ugly edges, submerge them in water to clean and drain pat-dry. Use saran wrap if banana leaves are not available.

6. The leaves must be heated and wilted over an open high flame to make them flexible.

7. Then, cut the aluminium into large squares/ rectangles and place a piece of the leaf/saran wrap on it. Repeat the process and set them aside.

8. Place the mixture of Koki-corn on the leaf or baking paper, about 1 cup.

9. Then, quickly fold the aluminium over it and press the sides into a rectangle shape, making sure to press inwards so none of the Koki runs out.

10. Then, fold the sides in to seal twice. Repeat the process and set them.

11. Place the Koki corn in the pot with reserved cobs.

12. Line the bottom of a large stock pot with reserved cobs. Add enough water to almost but not quite submerge the cobs. Cover the cobs with a layer of aluminium foil. The Koki corn should not come in contact with the water so they don’t get soggy.

Method of preparation