An Everyday Staple That Redefines Your Favorite Soups and Stews

EDITORS NOTE: EDS: 3 recipes follow article.); (ART ADV: With photos.

Across Africa and its diaspora, swallows evoke not an avian image but a vessel and an act.

A dumpling-like dough made from a cooked starch and meant to accompany soups and stews, swallows are a full category of foods in our recipe index.

Known generally to the Yorùbá-speaking people of South West Nigeria as òkèlè, to the Igbo-speaking people in the South East as ụtara and to the Fulani and Hausa people of the Sahel and savanna regions of the North as tuwo or nyiir, they get their English name (swallows) for their ability to be eaten without the need to chew. If you’ve ever molded a starch with your fingers, and then used it to scoop a flavored broth or sauce directly to your mouth, then you understand the modest role of a swallow.

I love considering the powerful interplay between dishes. Light broth, thickened stew, hearty porridge, sinewy draw soup or pepper sauce -- all are opportunities to hover my whole face over, to intimately understand the dish’s qualities with all my senses. These are the comforting kinds of meals I make most often at home. Whether I’m trying to master a novel soup that I’ve experienced on a recent outing or conjure a stew straight out of dreams from my Nigerian childhood, I’m always thinking about which kind of swallow will be its brilliant sidekick.

Learning to make swallows will invite you into a world of starches and redefine your relationships to your favorite dishes. It’s a topic I’ve covered before, but I’ve found myself wanting to say more. There’s always something to be said about swallows.

The list below is by no means comprehensive. I would have loved to have gone deeper into others, like the East African Highland banana swallow, made from matoke, a green fruit similar to plantain. There’s also Ghana’s firm kenkey, made from fermented maize, and the dainty omo tuo (tuwo), from cooked rice. And don’t forget about bespoke banku, a mix of cassava and maize. Some styles cross many parts of Africa, such as àmàlà, made from a dried, fermented plantain or yam flour, and semolina, made from durum wheat.

Ingredient availability defines the styles, and, in essence, any available starch is an opportunity. Swallows contain myriad possibilities, and that’s what should keep you coming back. With an understanding of a few key techniques, you can broaden your relationship to the starches that sustain you.

Traditionally, making swallows is a multistep process of simmering a starch in a pot until it softens. A large mortar and pestle is then used to crush and pound the tender pieces into a dough. While still hot, the dough is kneaded against the side of the mortar until it’s rich, smooth and elastic.

My preparation has you instead make a slurry, and then cook it while stirring to avoid any lumpy pockets. It thickens into a soft dough, which is repeatedly folded and kneaded against the side of the pot over heat. In both cases, after a bit of an arm workout, the starches relax and take on a glutenlike stretchy texture in a process that is quite magical to behold.

I’m learning to cook, eat and exist with significant changes in my abilities, including the loss of digits on both hands. The classic technique of pinching and rolling a small bit of swallow in between my index, middle finger and thumb is a distant desire. But my prosthetic hands are a point of pride, an enabler of sorts. Meals have become a time for discovery, when I find myself wielding a fork or spoon to eat my swallow. We should each bring the swallow to our lips however we’re able. It will nourish us all the same.

Ìyán (Yam Swallow)

A staple crop across the Caribbean, West and Central Africa and South America, the West African yam, not to be confused with a sweet potato, grows underground as a magnificently large tuber. It goes by many regional names: ìyán in the Yorùbá-speaking part of Nigeria, igname pilée in Benin, yam fufu in Ghana and foutou in Ivory Coast, to name a few.

The process of making it can be exhilarating and exhausting. It never fails to surprise me how the crumbly looking starch is transformed into something glossy and stretchy after minutes of repeated folding. As a yam swallow, ìyán shares the name of its main ingredient. As dense as it is, it provides nourishment and sustenance throughout the day.

The below recipe is for anyone who truly enjoys the subtle and mild taste that only fresh yam can provide. It skips a few steps for convenience: The peeled yam is puréed in a blender, and then cooked into a stiff pliable dough.

PAIR IT WITH: Vegetable-rich stews like èfọ́ rírò, ègúsí or a saucy braised meat for a deeply satisfying meal -- comfort in a bowl.

Ugali (White Corn Swallow)

Flours milled from grains or any starch can be the basis for swallows, with each imparting a particular flavor and texture. Grains such as maize, millet and sorghum, and tubers such as yam, cassava and potatoes all star in different swallows across Africa. Across East Africa, a swallow, like this one, made from milled white maize flour (called mahindi flour), goes by different names: ugali, posho, nsima and sadza.

Although you may be tempted to use a yellow cornmeal, you may not get the same results. The white cornmeal is starchy and lends itself well to vigorous folding.

PAIR IT WITH: Any vegetable soup such as light soup, the spinach-rich cagaar, the coconut-laden kuku paka or any grilled beef kebabs.

Garri (Fermented Dried Cassava) Swallow

Cassava shows up in different dishes and in many forms -- grated, crushed, fermented and dried -- across Africa. It’s also found as a flour, known as garri or gari across West and Central Africa, and farofa in Brazil. Cassava swallows have a woodsy depth and can range from mild to sour, depending on how lengthy the fermentation process has been.

When garri is made into a swallow, it is known as eba or generally as fufu in the diaspora. The garri swallow recipe here is lightly seasoned with a bit of red palm oil to give it a notable bright color and a floral taste.

PAIR IT WITH: Eru, okra soup with shrimp and greens or ègúsí soup, and top with ọbẹ̀ onírù or any braised meat.

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RECIPE: Ìyán (Yam Swallow)

Across the African continent and its diaspora, a swallow is a starch that often begins as a grain, tuber or root that’s steamed, then crushed and pounded into an elastic dough. This process renders the starch pliable enough to mold and use for scooping broth or sauce from bowl to mouth. This version is made with yam (not to be confused with a sweet potato), a magnificently large tuber that grows across tropical regions of West and Central Africa, the Caribbean and South America. The swallow goes by many names: pounded yam or yam swallow across West and Central Africa, Ìyán in Yorùbá, igname pilée in Benin, yam fufu in Ghana and foutou in Ivory Coast. Here, the fresh yam is puréed in a blender and poured into a pot. The resulting paste is then simmered and turns into a thickened batter that is kneaded against the side of the pot. A few things to note: Fresh yam oxidizes quickly, so get it into water as soon as it’s peeled and cut. Adding liquid while in the blender increases the cook time so add as little as possible. And most important, stir the slurry consistently over heat to prevent any scorching. The reward for your time will be a soft, dumpling-like yam swallow to enjoy hot alongside vegetable-rich stews like ẹ̀fọ́ riro, egusi soup, or with ọbẹ̀ onírù or any braised meat.

By Yewande Komolafe

Yield: 2 servings (2 cups)

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups water, divided, plus more as needed

1 medium yam (see tips)

Preparation:

1: Add 4 cups water to a medium bowl. Using a sharp knife, slice the yam into 2-inch-thick rounds. (Vegetable peelers don’t get through the thick brown skin here. A knife is more efficient.) Trim off the brown skin: Make a slit through the skin, just deep enough for the knife to touch the white flesh. Peel off the skin and discard. Cut yam into 1/2-inch cubes, transferring them to the water to keep them from turning brown. Swish and drain the cubes until no longer slippery and the water runs clear, about 5 minutes.

2: Transfer yams to a blender and, working in batches if necessary, pulse on low just enough to break up. Add 2 tablespoons water if you have trouble getting the pieces moving. Purée on high until completely smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes.

3: Pour the purée into a medium pot, and stir in 1/2 cup water until smooth. Place the pot over medium heat. Cover, with the lid cracked, and cook until steam begins to rise from the sides of the pot, 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t leave the pot unattended; the liquid may quickly bubble up over the sides.

4: Remove the lid, cook and stir, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom. You should have a thick, chalky-looking dough. It will be loose at the center, thickened at the sides and stiff at the bottom. Fold the dough over and onto itself until it’s a smooth, thickened paste, about 4 minutes. (A thin film of starch will form on the bottom, and that’s OK.)

5: Cover and continue cooking until bubbles slowly rise to the top and the dough pulls away from the pot, about 5 minutes.

6: Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high. Repeat the folding until a smooth, glossy, sticky dough forms, 3 to 4 minutes. It should be soft and pliable, supple and loose enough to fall off a wet spoon with a soft plop. Remove from heat, cover and let thicken as it cools, at least 5 to 15 minutes.

7: Form the mixture into balls to serve: Fill a bowl with water and dip a large serving spoon to wet it, then scoop the dough. Press the scooped dough against the side of the pot to shape the dough into a ball, then transfer to individual shallow bowls. Repeat with the remaining dough to form 2 to 3 more balls, dipping the spoon into the water before each scoop. Serve alongside ẹ̀fọ́ riro, egusi soup, with ọbẹ̀ onírù or any braised meat.

TIPS:

-- Different from sweet potatoes, yam, a large brown, thick-skinned tuber with a stiff white or yellow crisp flesh, is available fresh at African, Caribbean and some international grocery stores. Store yams once purchased at room temperature in a cool, dry place.

-- If your yams have been pre-cut in store, look for fresh ones with a bright hue under the peel. Tap the surface of the skin lightly with your finger. You should be able to hold the tuber in your hand without making an indentation. Soft spots mean they haven’t been properly stored. Depending on the type you use (white or yellow), the purée might change color while it cooks from white to pink or dark brown. This does not affect the taste. Yellow yams are more likely to turn a different color as they oxidize faster.

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RECIPE: Ugali (White Corn Swallow)

Ugali is an East African swallow made from milled white maize flour (also called mahindi flour) that goes by other names, such as posho, nsima and pap. Its preparation can be region-specific, with water, broth or milk all used as primary liquids, and butter, sometimes added to enrich the cooked starch. Like any swallow made from a fine milled flour, ugali is prone to forming lumpy pockets, if the ingredients are not evenly incorporated. To avoid this, a slurry is developed off the heat in the pot as the first step in this recipe. Ugali, similar to most swallows, is best served hot alongside vegetable soups, such as light soup with mushrooms, cagaar (spinach stew), collards (Liberian stewed greens) or grilled beef kebabs.

By Yewande Komolafe

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

4 1/4 cups water, divided

1 1/2 cups (224 grams) white maize meal (mahindi flour), such as Jogoo brand, or white masarepa (see tip)

Preparation:

1: In a medium pot, stir together 3 cups water and the maize meal. As you stir, the slurry will become a thick dough. Lift the dough and add the remaining 1 cup water along the bottom of the pot.

2: Set the pot over medium heat, partly cover and cook until steam rises from the sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Don’t leave the pot unattended as the liquid can bubble out quickly.

3: Uncover and remove the pot from the heat. With a wooden spoon, break up the thickened dough, and stir, working in any liquid, until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes.

4: Return to heat, and use the wooden spoon to fold the dough over itself and against the side of the pot until it’s elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Steam should rise from the surface, and the dough should stiffen and pull away from the pot. (A thin film of starch will form on the bottom and sides of the pot, and that’s OK.)

5: Move the dough to one side of the pot and hold the pot by its handle on its side over the heat. Fold the dough over itself several times to knead until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. This repetitive process is an arm workout, but the dough should be soft and pliable at this point.

6: Increase heat to medium-high and return the pot to its original position. Spread the dough along the bottom of the pan. Cover and heat through, about 2 minutes. Uncover and repeat the folding until a smooth, sticky dough forms, 5 to 6 minutes. It should be soft, not runny, and drop off a wet spoon with gentle plop. If dough feels too firm, add 1 tablespoon and up to 1/4 cup more water. Remove from heat, cover and let cool for at least 5 minutes. The dough will continue to stiffen, becoming solid over time. It can be served immediately, hot or warm, or stored once completely cold, in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

7: To serve, dip a spoon into a bowl filled with warm water and scoop the ugali by pressing it against the side of the pot while shaping the dough into a smooth ball. Transfer the ball while still warm to an individual shallow serving bowl. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Serve ugali with light soup with mushrooms, cagaar (spinach stew) or collards (Liberian stewed greens) or grilled beef kebab.

TIP: White masarepa from Goya is an adequate substitute for maize meal. Cornmeal or corn flour are not. Milled white maize flour (called mahindi flour) can be found as a packaged product sold under different brand names, including Jogoo (a popular brand from Kenya), Nasfam or White Star. Often stored at room temperature, maize meal is available at African, Caribbean and some international grocery stores.

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RECIPE: Garri (Fermented Dried Cassava) Swallow

This swallow, known as garri or ẹ̀bà in Yorùbá, relies on cassava, a staple root vegetable across tropical regions of West and Central Africa, the Caribbean and South America. Among the many ways cassava is prepared, it’s milled into white flour, also called garri (or gari) across West and Central Africa, and farofa in Brazil, with granules ranging in size from fine to coarse. Yellow garri is a variety from the coastal Niger Delta region of southeast Nigeria, where the garri is toasted with red palm oil to lend a unique pop of pale orange. Although most swallows are served unseasoned, this recipe has been enriched with a bit of red palm oil for a mild, floral taste. Enjoy garri alongside eru, okra soup with shrimp and greens, ègúsí soup and topped with ọbẹ̀ onírù or any braised meat.

By Yewande Komolafe

Yield: 2 to 4 servings (4 cups)

Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups water, divided, plus more for shaping dough

1 tablespoon red palm oil (see tips)

1 ½ cups white garri (dried fermented cassava granules) (see tips)

Preparation:

1: To a medium pot over medium heat, add 1 cup water and palm oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add garri all at once, whisking quickly to distribute, 1 minute. Switch to a wooden spoon and, starting from the center, stir up and over toward the edge of the pot until the mixture stiffens, about 5 minutes. Mix in another 1/4 cup water. The mixture should look clumpy, with pockets of dried garri.

2: Cover the pot, leaving the lid cracked, and cook until steam begins to rise, 6 to 8 minutes. The batter should begin to thicken and separate slightly from the side of the pot.

3: Uncover and fold the dough over itself as before, working in any lumps. Add 1/2 cup water to release any stuck bits and prevent scorching. Continue to cook, folding several times, until the dough is thick and slightly chalky-looking, 2 minutes. Keep folding over heat until the dough begins to stiffen and pull away from the pot, 3 to 4 minutes more. (A thin film of starch will form on the bottom and sides, and that’s OK.)

4: Spread the dough across the bottom of the pot. With the wooden spoon, poke a few deep indents into the surface. Add remaining 1/4 cup of water along the edges and top of the dough.

5: Cover and cook, without stirring, until dough is heated through and translucent, and the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Uncover and move the dough to one side of the pot. Hold the pot on its side over the heat and repeat folding the dough against the side of the pot until a cohesive dough forms, 6 to 8 minutes.

6: Increase the heat to medium-high. Keep folding until a smooth, glossy, sticky dough forms, 6 to 8 minutes. It should be soft and pliable, but not runny, and drop off a wet spoon with a soft plop. Remove from heat, cover and let cool for at least 5 minutes.

7: To shape, place a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface and add water to a small bowl. Dip a large spoon in the water and use it to scoop a portion of dough and transfer it to the center of the plastic wrap, smoothing it with the wet spoon. Fold both long edges over the dough to encase, pull together both short sides by the ends and twist to seal completely. You should have a round ball, sealed in the plastic wrap. Repeat to form the remaining wrapped balls of dough.

8: Unwrap and transfer the swallow while still warm, crease side up, to individual bowls. Serve immediately, alongside eru, egusi soup or okra soup, and topped with ọbẹ̀ onírù or any braised meat.

TIPS:

-- Grated, fermented and dehydrated cassava is labeled as garri and available in white or yellow varieties, in fine or coarsely ground granules at African, Caribbean and some international grocery stores. Ijebu garri, also available and often labeled by the same name, can be used in this recipe and may require additional liquid. The garri has a distinctly white, fine-textured grain and sour taste from a lengthier fermentation process.

-- The palm tree is an Indigenous species that grows in tropical regions of West and central Africa. It produces large pods with spikey bunches, which become heavy with fleshy red-orange fruit kernels. When the pods are harvested, the fruit is picked and pressed of its oil, which is used in cooking and lends a notable depth and distinct color central to West African cuisine. The oil can be found stored at room temperature in glass or plastic jars at African, Caribbean and some international grocery stores. Red palm oil is a soft solid at room temperature and melts easily once heated.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Copyright 2026 The New York Times Company