Add the full amount of water to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the salt, and bring the water to a boil over medium heat. When the water boils, remove 1 cup (237 ml) of the water and set it aside. Keep the rest of the water on the heat.

Once all the cornmeal has been stirred in, turn the heat to low.

As the mixture heats up, the starch in the cornmeal will thicken the mixture. This will take about five to 10 minutes. When the mixture is ready, it will start to smell like roasted corn.

When the cooking time is up, remove the pan from the heat.

You’ll also need a large saucepan, a knife, a bowl, and a ladle or small bowl. If you don’t have a large pestle and mortar, you can use a smaller scale one and work in very small batches to make single-serving fufu.

It’s important to use sweet cassava instead of bitter, because bitter cassava requires a different processing method to remove all the harmful cyanogenic glycosides present in the root. [3] X Research source You can substitute yam for the plantain and cassava in this recipe to make yam fufu. Just make sure you use yam, which has white flesh and brown skin, and not sweet potato, which is sometimes mistakenly called yam. [4] X Research source

Boil the cassava and plantain for about 15 minutes, or until you can easily insert a knife into the flesh. [5] X Research source

The water you used to boil the cassava and plantain now contains starches from both, and you’ll use this later to help bring the fufu together.

When the plantain is ready, you’ll have a smooth dough that’s free of chunks. Remove the plantain dough from the mortar and place it in a separate bowl. It’s easier to work the large pestle and mortar with two people, where one person concentrates on pounding with the pestle and the other person manages the ingredients in the mortar.

When the cassava is ready, it will have the appearance of a smooth, white dough.

If the dough starts to stick, add the reserved starch water in ¼ cup (60-ml) increments. The fufu is ready when the two doughs have been fully incorporated and the fufu is soft and fluffy.

If you don’t have access to ground semolina and ground rice, you can substitute 2 cups (454 g) each of ready-made baking mix (such as Bisquick) and instant mashed potatoes, plus 2 cups (244 g) of cassava or tapioca flour.

Fufu made in a pot can get quite thick, so you may need to get someone to help you hold the pot while you stir.