Cornchaff (Adalu)
CornChaff aka Adalu – A one pot corn and beans porridge enjoyed throughout West Africa – especially Nigeria and Cameroon.
Growing up, I did not particular like or dislike cornchaff, it was just something I would eat because that was what was on the dinner table and you had no other option but to clean up your plate or risk punishment.
Simply put, I was indifferent towards it. In spite of my feelings towards corn chaff I would however enjoy it every once in a while, and it wasn’t the one that was prepared at home but my friendly neighbor’s, Aunty Christy. There was something about her method of preparation –simple, rustic but amazingly good. Fast forward to today, at home, or in parties or special occasions every one wants a serving or more.
I have tried to recreate this corn chaff, just the way Aunty Christy made it and but it never turns up like hers. How depressing! I guess she puts some extra “love” into it. This is my own variation.
Corn chaff is corn and beans that is slowly simmered together with onions, tomatoes, red oil, various spices and meat depending on preference. Smoked fish or meat adds an additional flavor to this dish.
So if you have any on hand use it by all means. Another ingredient that I use in this recipe is country onions – a nut with a pungent smell and earthy taste. This ingredient is only cultivated in certain parts of Africa particularly Cameroon, Ghana, and Congo. It is available at some African stores or online. Don’t be discouraged! You can still make absolutely delicious corn chaff without country onions, so go ahead and cheer up and start cooking!
Enjoy!!!
Watch How to Make It
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Cornchaff/Adalu
Ingredients
- One pound dried beans any variety (sub 3 16 ounce canned beans)
- One pound corn sweet boiled corn or any kind
- 1-2 cups smoked turkey , fish, chicken
- 2 medium tomatoes diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoons grated ginger
- ½ medium onion diced
- ¼ cup crayfish smoked/dried shrimp optional
- ½ - ¾ cup palm oil
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1-2 Tablespoons Chicken bouillon optional
Instructions
- Rinse dry red beans and pick through and discard any foreign object.( I did not have to do this because I used the package beans, I guess2. Add black beans to a large pot covering with 3-4 inches of cold water.
- Cover and let sit overnight or 6 to 8 hours.
- Drain the soaked beans, rinse, and place the beans in a Dutch oven or pressure cooker. Follow instructions for cooking beans in your pressure cooker. It takes roughly between 8 to 12 minutes to cook. If not using a pressure cook, cook the beans for about 1 to 1½ hours until tender.
- Drain the cooked beans and add corn to the pot and stir.
- Add palm oil, onions, tomatoes, crayfish, smoked fish, garlic, ginger, smoked paprika , chicken bouillon and salt.
- Then pour about 2 – 3 cups or more of water or chicken stock bring to a boil and let it simmer for all the flavors to come together about 20 -25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can smash the cornchaff here for a the perfect adalu , if you like it smash.
- Adjust for seasonings and serve.
Tips & Notes:
If you are press for time, use canned beans; they cut the preparation method tremendously.I stock up on canned beans when they are on sale.
You can also use the Mexican style Hominy corn in a can
Nutrition Information:
How much country onion do you Recommend using in this recipe please , I see that it may have been edited out form the initial post years ago but it was mentioned in your write up
Hello,
Start with 1/2 teaspoon – you can adjust as you go to suit your taste buds .
Hi Imma,
I love your recipes. I was just wondering if the ginger is your own take of this favorite dish. I come from East Africa and our version consists of peanuts that gets boiled together with the beans.
The corn is cooked first( takes longer) , then add the bean’s and when almost half way be cooked, add the peanuts. Season to your taste. Can be made vegetarian or add meats.
Hi Klove .
This is West African Version- and we widely ginger in Cornchaff for added flavor – an optional step. Corn and beans are boiled separately until tender before proceeding with the dish.
Thanks for trying out the recipes .
This recipe is magic
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Yet another happy surprise from your recipes. My mom had doubts because the recipe is different from her normal beans and cornbread. She wasn’t sure about the tomatoes or the corn, but like the irio, she fell in love with it. This is downright delicious – and I didn’t even meats, just some veggie bouillon. This will now be a forever dish in our household – and gosh did it taste good on a cold weather day!!!!
Yay! I am super happy to read your comment. So you just surprise your mom… hahaha ah amazing. Thank you so much for trying and sharing your valuable feedback with other readers
Tried for the first time and the results are amazing.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this. Have you tried my new Chocolate Mousse yet? 🙂
Hello,
This recipe has updated. I think I first made it back in 2014 or 2015. My children and I LOVE it! I guess I did not expect the recipe to change. Would you please provide me with the recipe before the update? The one that told you which type of beans to use. I appreciate your help and LOVE your website!!
Hi Elle
It’s the same recipe. The only thing has been updated are the pictures. Any beans, black, white, pinto would do just fine.
I thought i rated this some months ago when i made this for my household, as well as my father’s. Extremely good. I made quite a few substitutions including no shell fish, but the base was def your recipe. Thanks
One of your best recipes. Perfect. Thank you so much
Yay! So happy to hear it was a hit.
Hi Again Immaculate – if using canned beans, is it still 1 pound or is it more? And can 1 pound of frozen sweet corn be used instead? Many thanks
Hi Emma please where can one buy our type of regular cameroon corn, not the sweet one.
Where are you located?
I was able to find this corn at Fiesta Mart (https://www.fiestamart.com/). They have quite a few of these in Texas. I was able to find a frozen version of it there!
Thanks for sharing, Jeanette!
Do you think that this could be made in a crockpot?
It will definitely work. My sister dumps everything in the pot and lets it cook. But this is how I would do it to boost the flavor .Start it out stovetop(saute ingredients and spices) and finish it off in a crockpot.
What if I have very dry corn how do I handle it. Do let it in water for hours too or I just cook it?
Thanks
I would let it soak for hours before cooking.
What kind of corn from the supermarket do you use for cornchaff because I live in Maryland and I don’t know what corn to use. Thanks
The one I like best is Asian sweet boiled corn- available in asian markets in the freezer section. If not you can use go with any Mexican canned corn
it happens to be an every day meal also in parts of east africa with so many variations also
George ,I guess corn and beans are a perfect pair- every country have their own way of preparing it . Thanks for stopping by
When you add the onions and all the other ingredients. Recipe updated!
When do you add the palm oil?
Thanks for stopping by Wizzy!!!!
What a lovely looking stew. This would make a great family meal and I can understand why it appeared on your table regularly when you were growing up.