COPPERPâte recipe
Benin's everyday staple is nothing but corn flour and water, turned hard against the pot until it pulls away in one smooth mass.
Ingredients
- 400 g white corn flour
- 1500 ml water
How to make Pâte
- Whisk 400 g of the white corn flour into 1500 ml of cold water until you have a lump-free slurry.
- Bring 1.1 litres of water to a rolling boil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Pour in the cold slurry while stirring, and let it thicken for 5 minutes into a loose porridge.
- Rain in the remaining 400 g of flour a handful at a time, stirring without stopping with a wooden paddle.
- Turn the paste hard for 10 to 15 minutes, pressing it against the side of the pot until it is smooth, firm and comes away cleanly.
- Wet a ladle or a small bowl, scoop out portions and roll them into smooth mounds.
- Serve hot with no salt and no oil: all the seasoning comes from the sauce it is eaten with, tomato, peanut or okra, and fried fish.
What is Pâte?
Pâte is a traditional dish from Benin, cooked in a pan, and takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. It is built around white corn flour. The recipe below uses 2 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Pâte take?
At 30 minutes it is quicker than 97% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. The method runs to 7 steps, the longest being 15 minutes.
Any tips for making Pâte?
Start with part of the flour whisked into cold water, then rain in the rest by the handful, stirring without stopping, so the paste stays smooth.
How Pâte compares
At 30 minutes, Pâte is among the 20 quickest of the 586 dishes Copper documents. White corn flour appears in no other dish in the atlas.
Copper documents Benin alongside 197 other countries. Every recipe is free to read, with the full ingredient list and every step.