Djenkoume (Tomato-Cornmeal Polenta)
Djenkoume (Tomato-Cornmeal Polenta)
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons red palm oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped tomato
- 1 tablespoon yazi spice (see below)
- Pinch baking soda
- 2 cups fine-grind cornmeal or maseca flour, toasted
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Bring the chicken broth to a simmer on the stovetop in a medium saucepan.
- Heat the palm oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until warm, about a minute. Add the onion, bell pepper, and tomato, followed by the yazi spice and the baking soda. Continue stirring and cooking until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Stir a generous spoonful of the tomato mixture into the broth and reserve/keep warm the rest for serving.
- Gradually stir the cornmeal into the simmering chicken broth and cook until the liquid has absorbed and the cornmeal is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- The djenkome can be formed into a mound or spooned onto a plate with the reserved tomato sauce for serving. I like to spoon the djenkome into a ramekin and invert onto a plate on top of the sauce to serve alone or with fish, chicken or pork.
Yazi Spice, makes about ½ cup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground fennel
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground caraway
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Method
- Combine all of the ingredients. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 1 month.
I learned how to cook from my mother growing up in Togo. Reading Jacques Pépin’s autobiography The Apprentice with her is what inspired me to become a chef. Later, watching his cooking shows is how I mourned her. This djenkoume is a traditional side dish that we made together. Toasting the cornmeal first adds a fragrant, nutty flavor.