A steamed savory cake of ground black-eyed peas, set firm and silky with a touch of food-grade potash (kawan) and steamed in leaves, then sliced and served drenched in shea butter, a dry salt-and-pepper spice mix and fried onions. Tubaani is a protein-rich Northern Ghanaian street food.
From the savannah north, tubaani is a treasured everyday dish of the Dagomba, Mamprusi and Gonja peoples and the bustling zongo communities. Soaked cowpeas are skinned, ground and mixed with a little potash, then steamed in leaves into a tender cake and dressed with shea butter, fried onions and a peppery spice mix, an old, cheap, nourishing food now finding fans across the country.
The cake is soft and almost custardy, yet firm enough to slice, with the clean, gentle sweetness of cowpeas. What makes it sing is the dressing: rich shea butter, sweet fried onions and a dusting of salty, fiery pepper spice that turns each plain piece into a savory, peppery mouthful.
Skinning and blending the beans releases their protein, which sets like a custard when steamed, giving the cake its silky firmness; a pinch of potash helps the batter bind into a smooth, springy set, and the leaf wrapping holds the loose batter and perfumes it gently as it cooks.
Variations
steamed in leaves or molds; dressed with the traditional shea butter and dry pepper mix, or with red palm oil and suya spice; topped with gari or boiled egg. A firmer, leaf-steamed cousin of Nigerian moi moi.
On the Palate
Where Tubaani sits in the Ghanaian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 110 min
Soak black-eyed peas overnight until swollen.
- 210 min
Rub off the skins and rinse the beans clean.
Watch outRub and rinse until every skin is off and the beans are clean-white — leftover skins keep the steamed cake from setting silky-smooth.
- 38 min
Blend the skinned beans with a little water, onion and salt into a smooth, thick batter.
- 45 min
Whisk the batter well to lighten it, then spoon into leaf parcels or small molds.
Watch outWhisk the batter until it lightens and holds air — this beaten aeration is what gives the cake its springy, custard-like set.
- 530 min
Steam the parcels over simmering water until the cakes are firm and set.
Watch outSteam only until firm and set to the touch — over-steaming dries it out; it should quiver just slightly when nudged.
- 66 min
Meanwhile, fry sliced onions in red palm oil until golden.
- 72 min
Unwrap the cakes and cut into pieces.
- 82 min
Serve drenched in the palm oil and onions and dusted with suya pepper spice.
