Cooking Supper–Typical Fulani Meal

The other day in the village, I happened to be there while they were cooking that evening’s meal.  My friend thought it would be a great opportunity for me to practice my cooking skills – and they taught me how to stir the millet porridge.

I watched the young married woman stirring the porridge first:

Posed for the picture – as demanded by my friend:

And then gave it a try:

Then the mother of the hut came to show me how to do it … though I was stirring, I didn’t have the right rhythm for the stir the edge, flip and beat in the middle:

And then I had to try my hand again:

My friends declared my second efforts as much more passable!  It is quite the intense endeavour requiring skills and strength that I would need to “build” if I were to do this two times a day!  (And all that after they have spent hours pounding the millet into a flour to cook into the paste!)

This millet porridge will be served with a dipping sauce – likely made of okra or tree leaves … honestly, a slimy green sauce!  The second smaller pot that you can see to the left of the porridge pot is cooking the dipping sauce.

When all is finished … the meal will look somewhat like this photo (of another day). 

This is the Fulani staple meal that they will prepare and eat for lunch and supper … and what is left-over from supper will be eaten for breakfast the next morning.