Food-grade potash is an alkaline mineral salt used in West African cooking to tenderise okra, leafy greens and beans, and to give sticky sauces their texture. In Nigeria, it is called kanwa in Hausa, akanwu in Igbo, kaun in Yoruba. It is not a seasoning: it acts on texture, not on taste. 100 g bag.
What is cooking potash?
It is a mineral of the carbonate family, harvested from natural deposits or obtained from leached plant ashes, depending on the region: its exact composition therefore varies from one origin to another. Whitish to light brown, it dissolves in water. Its role is that of a tenderiser: in the cooking water, it softens the fibres of vegetables and the skin of legumes.
How to use it?
- Dissolve a pinch of potash in a little water, then pour this water into the pot.
- In an okra sauce or a leaf sauce (cassava leaves, ewedu, Guinea sorrel), it tenderises the vegetables, keeps their green colour and enhances the sticky texture.
- With beans and black-eyed peas, it shortens the cooking time: this is the usual step for moin moin.
A pinch is enough: it is a concentrated product.
What to pair it with?
CATALEYA okra powder and NUMBER ONE ground ogbono for sticky sauces, NUMBER ONE dried cassava leaves, LEGUMOR black-eyed peas for moin moin. On the blog: the moin moin recipe. The whole range: okra, ogbono and sauce thickeners.
Product information
- Brand: NUMBER ONE, distributed in France by Tai Yat
- Contents: 100 g bag
- Nature: alkaline mineral salt (cooking potash), with no additives
- Allergens: none of the 14 regulated allergens, by nature
- Storage: in a dry place, in a closed jar: it is sensitive to humidity
Precautions
Potash is used in pinches, dissolved, never with a spoon. It is a mineral salt: if you need to watch your salt intake or have kidney disease, ask your doctor for advice before using it. Keep the bag out of the reach of children.
