How To Make Cameroonian Koki Beans

Hmmmm Koki Beans... It is one of the things i missed about Cameroon. Ahh! It is a popular street food - a pudding made with black-eyed peas (koki beans). The taste is out of this world! It never lasts in my house. Because as soon as Koki Beans is cooked, I do not rest till it is all resting happily ever after in my belly. Ha.

Imagine my joy when I discovered the universality of Koki Beans. It is called black-eyed peas in the United States. It is called moin moin beans in Nigeria. I'm sure other countries have a name for it but I just do not know it.

In Cameroon, blackeyed peas are either used to make koki beans or accra beans. They are hardly used for bean stew. We like grinding then and "hiding" themin fritters and puddings. When made into this amazing pudding called Koki Beans, I could give an arm for it.  Nigerians make something similar and they call it, Moin Moin. Moin Moin and Koki Beans are both delicious. I call them, African cake.

Making this could take some time but I promise you every bite is worth it! The bulk of the work usually lies in washing the beans. This includes peeling the beans and separating it from its outer skin.

Start by soaking beans in water for about 5- 10 minutes. Then I put it in a blender and pulse for a few seconds. Don't worry the blender doesn't grind it. It just takes the skin off. When I have peeled all of the beans, I put it in a large bowl and pour water into the bowl, above the level of the beans. The skins float and I drain them using a colander. I repeat the process until the beans are free of the outer skin.

Crush the beans into a slightly grainy paste using my fantastic blender. I can't recommend this baby enough!