Akple and Fetri Detsi Recipe: Volta Corn Dough with Okra Soup
Akple and Fetri Detsi Recipe: Volta Corn Dough with Okra Soup
Ask for a taste of the Volta Region on a plate and this is what arrives: akple, the firm, smooth corn dough of the Ewe people, with fetri detsi, an okra soup so slippery it practically pulls the dough down with it. The two are never really separated. Akple without fetri detsi is just dough looking for its soup.
You will also see it spelled alakple. However it is written, it is the same dish: a corn dough firmer and denser than banku, because akple is made from corn alone, with no cassava dough in the mix. That firmness is the point. Akple holds its shape in the soup, and a well made piece stretches just a little before it gives.
The draw is the point
Fetri detsi lives or dies by its draw, the long, glossy pull of the okra. Three things protect it. Chop some of the okra fine and leave some in small pieces, so the soup has both body and bite. Do not boil the okra hard for a long time, because overcooking kills the slipperiness you are after. And put the palm oil in near the end, so the soup stays bright and the oil perfumes everything instead of frying the okra at the start.
The classic proteins are dried or smoked fish and wele, the cow skin that cooks down soft and gelatinous. Crab goes in when it is available, and some homes add beef. Further down I note where cooks differ, because fetri detsi is a home dish and homes argue about it.
Akple and Fetri Detsi Recipe: Volta Corn Dough with Okra Soup
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Ingredients
For the akple:
- 2 cups fine corn flour or cornmeal (about 260 g), plus a little extra for dusting your hands
- About 4 cups water, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the fetri detsi (okra soup):
- 17 1/2 oz (500 g) fresh okra, washed and trimmed
- 7 oz (200 g) smoked or dried fish, soaked, deboned, and flaked
- 7 oz (200 g) wele (cow skin), cleaned and cut into bite size pieces (buy it pre cooked if you can)
- 3 tablespoons red palm oil
- 1 large onion, half sliced and half blended or finely grated
- 1 to 2 Scotch bonnet peppers, whole or minced
- 3 to 4 cups water or light fish stock
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional, helps the draw)
- 1 seasoning cube (optional)
- Salt to taste
Method
Make the fetri detsi first; it waits happily while you stir the akple.
- If your wele is not pre cooked, boil it in salted water until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, then drain. Pre cooked wele only needs a rinse.
- Put the water or stock in a pot with the sliced onion, the wele, and the whole Scotch bonnet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes so the wele starts flavoring the pot.
- Chop the okra: grate or finely chop about a third of it, and cut the rest into small rounds. Add all of it to the pot with the blended onion and the baking soda if using. Stir well.
- Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then. The soup will thicken and turn glossy and slippery. Do not let it boil hard.
- Add the flaked fish and the seasoning cube if using. Simmer 5 more minutes.
- Stir in the palm oil, taste for salt, and simmer 2 final minutes. Take out the whole pepper unless everyone at the table likes fire. The soup should coat the back of a spoon and pull in long strands.
Now the akple.
- Mix 1 cup of the corn flour with 2 cups of cold water in a bowl and stir to a smooth, lump free slurry.
- Bring the remaining 2 cups of water to a boil in a heavy pot with the salt. Pour in the slurry, stirring constantly with a sturdy wooden spoon or akple paddle.
- As the mixture thickens, add the remaining cup of flour a little at a time, stirring hard after each addition. Press and fold the dough against the side of the pot, the way you would for banku.
- Splash in a little hot water, cover, and let it steam for 3 to 4 minutes. Then stir and fold again, really working the dough. Repeat the steam and stir once or twice more, about 20 minutes in total, until the akple is smooth, firm, glossy, and pulls away cleanly from the pot.
- Dip your hands or a small bowl in cold water, scoop out portions, and roll them into smooth balls.
- Serve at once: akple balls in a wide bowl with the fetri detsi ladled around and over them. Eat with clean fingers, tearing off a piece, making a small well in it, and scooping up the soup.
Tips
Work the dough while it is hot. Akple firms up fast as it cools. The smooth, elastic finish comes from stirring and folding while the pot is still steaming, not after.
Keep hot water ready. A kettle of hot water beside the pot lets you loosen the dough with splashes without dropping the temperature the way cold water would.
The soup goes in the bowl first for guests. A ladle of fetri detsi in the bowl, then the akple, then more soup over the top keeps the dough from sticking and makes the plate look like it should.
Key ingredients
Frequently asked questions
What is akple made of?
Corn flour and water, cooked and stirred into a firm, smooth dough, with salt. Unlike banku, traditional akple uses corn only, with no cassava dough or fermented cassava in the mix, which is why it is firmer.
What is fetri detsi?
Fetri detsi is the Ewe name for okra soup, fetri being okra and detsi being soup. It is built on fresh okra cooked to a glossy draw, with dried or smoked fish, wele, onion, pepper, and palm oil.
Is fetri detsi the same as the okra soup on this site?
They are cousins. The okra soup (nkruma) page here is the tomato based style eaten with banku and kenkey. Fetri detsi is the Volta style: okra forward, fish and wele, and all about the draw. Try both and pick your side; Volta readers already have.
Why did my akple come out lumpy?
The flour went in too fast, or the stirring paused while it thickened. Add flour gradually, stir without stopping as it comes together, and use the cover and steam rests to soften the dough between stirrings.
Can I make akple from corn dough instead of flour?
Yes. Many home cooks start from fermented corn dough, the same dough used for banku, and cook it down with water and salt, skipping the cassava dough so it stays true akple. The flour method here is the one that travels best outside Ghana, where the dough is harder to find.