Dan wake is a traditional dish from northern Nigeria that is made from beans and cassava flour. It is also known as son of beans because of its shape and texture.
Dan wake is a hearty and satisfying meal that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
It is usually served with various toppings, such as spicy pepper sauce, sautéed vegetables, boiled eggs, and meat.
In this article, you will learn how to make dan wake at home in a few easy steps.
What You Need
To make dan wake, you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 cups of beans flour
- 1 cup of cassava flour or plain flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda or potash
- 2 tablespoons of kuka powder (dried baobab leaves)
- 4 cups of beef stock or water
- Salt to taste
For the toppings, you can use any combination of these ingredients:
- Ground cayenne pepper (yaji)
- Suya pepper (a blend of roasted peanuts, ginger, garlic, paprika, and other spices)
- Sliced vegetables (onions, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.)
- Vegetable or beef sauce (made with oil, onions, tomatoes, peppers, spices, and stock cubes)
- Hard-boiled eggs (cut into quarters or slices)
How to Make It
Follow these steps to make dan wake:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans flour, cassava flour, baking soda or potash, kuka powder, and salt. Mix well and then gradually add the beef stock or water. Knead the mixture with your hands until you have a thick and smooth dough.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll them into balls about the size of a marble. Drop the balls into the boiling water one by one. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pot.
- Cook the dan wake balls for about 10 minutes or until they float to the top and become soft and fluffy. Drain the water and rinse the dan wake with cold water once.
- Arrange the dan wake on a large serving platter or individual plates. Sprinkle some ground cayenne pepper, suya pepper, and stock cubes over them. Drizzle some vegetable or beef sauce over them as well. Add some sliced vegetables and hard-boiled eggs on top or on the side as you like.
- Enjoy your dan wake while it is still warm or let it cool down and eat it later.
Tips
- You can find the beans flour, cassava flour, baking soda or potash, kuka powder, ground cayenne pepper, and suya pepper in most Nigerian or African grocery stores.
- You can also make your own beans flour by soaking dried beans overnight, peeling off the skins, and grinding them into a fine powder using a blender or food processor.
- You can use any kind of sauce to serve with dan wake, such as tomato sauce, peanut sauce, curry sauce, etc. You can also add some meat, fish, or tofu to your sauce for extra protein.
- You can store the leftover dan wake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave them for a few minutes or steam them over boiling water until warm.
