I love mushrooms and appreciate fufu even though I'm more familiar with its starchy cousin sadza (a thick maize/cornmeal porridge).

Fufu is pounded or ground cassava or yam cooked with water often served with vegetable relish, soup or meat stew. It is central to many West African dishes.

I used plantain fufu flour. I love plantains, and they are gluten-free, high in antioxidants, fibre and several other nutrients. You can use other types of ground or pounded root or starchy vegetable such as malanga.

Groundnut or pepper soup are commonly served with fufu, but I was inspired to use mushrooms instead, or more specifically nhedzi. This is a type of mushroom found in Zimbabwe often served as a rich broth-based soup. I used what I could get my hands on - namely dried shiitake (which helps add extra flavour) and cremini mushrooms. I add the coconut milk element to make the soup creamier. Not surprisingly, cream of mushroom soup is very popular, I hope you try the recipe out!

Ingredients

1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated

1 1/2 cups frozen cremini mushrooms

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons Worchester sauce

1/4 cup cooking marsala wine

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

2 tablespoons thyme

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon Royco Usavi mix (optional)

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup coconut milk (or heavy cream)

1 vegetable bouillon

2 cups water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Plantain fufu:

1/2 - 1 cup plantain fufu powder (I used Tropiway’s)

1-2 cups water

Depends on how much you need for serving.

Instructions

In a medium pan, fry the shiitake mushrooms in vegetable oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons Worchester sauce.
Fry for 5-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to crisp up around the edges without burning, set aside.

In a large pot, saute the onions and minced garlic in butter and olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon Usavi mix, and 1 tablespoon thyme. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

Add the frozen mushrooms to the pot, cook until the water has melted and the mushrooms are mixed in well. Add the vegetable bouillon (crush it), water, and cooking wine. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Whisk in the flour until the soup begins to thicken and it's completely dissolved. Add the coconut or cream and 3/4 of the shiitake mushrooms, simmer for another 5 minutes.

In another pot, prepare the fufu according to the box's instructions. All you will need is water and the fufu powder, which you will knead and shape with a wooden spoon and your hands into a dough.

Serve the fufu ball(s) with the soup ladled on top or to the side with the rest of the fried mushrooms.