I’m a little emotional sharing this because it was the very first recipe I posted on this blog two years ago. You can see the original post with my early photography here. After receiving so many requests I made a video for this delicious dish, which you can watch below. I’m not sure why “Bible” is part of the name, but I do know this: grated cocoyam wrapped in banana leaves and steamed is incredibly tasty. In short—Kwacoco Bible!
Kwacoco Bible is commonly eaten by the Bakweri people of Cameroon. For a bit of background and a short story about the dish, see my original post here. Traditionally it’s wrapped and cooked in banana leaves; if you can’t find banana leaves, aluminium foil is an acceptable substitute. The detailed recipe is included below.
Watch me make it here:
Kwacoco Bible
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Ingredients
- 7 medium cocoyams (taro)
- 1 cup palm oil – lightly warmed
- 1 cup smoked fish – flaked
- 1 cup crayfish – roughly blended
- 3 small seasoning cubes (Maggi)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- 1/2 bunch cocoyam leaves (or spinach) – chopped
Instructions
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Peel the cocoyams, then grate them into a smooth paste. If available, a food processor makes this faster—see the video for guidance.
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Combine the grated cocoyam with salt, seasoning cubes, palm oil, chopped leaves (or spinach), flaked smoked fish and blended crayfish. Mix thoroughly so the ingredients are evenly distributed.
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Line the bottom of a large pot with banana leaves or aluminium foil. Portion the mixture—about 3/4 cup per portion—onto banana leaves or foil and wrap each portion securely.
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Place the wrapped portions in the prepared pot, cover them with more banana leaves or foil, then add water until it reaches about halfway up the wraps. Bring to a gentle simmer and steam for about one hour.
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Check the pot every 15 minutes and add water as needed so it doesn’t dry out or burn. After one hour, let any remaining water evaporate, then turn off the heat.
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Open the wraps and enjoy warm.