Gozo with Smoked Fish Tomato Sauce (Central African Cassava Paste)
In short: A smooth, stretchy cassava paste cooked until glossy and served with a quick tomato sauce of smoked fish, onion and red palm oil. It takes about 1 h 5 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 h 5 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 415 kcal
Gozo is the cassava paste that fills plates in the Central African Republic, eaten at lunch and dinner with whatever sauce is at hand. Cassava flour is stirred into boiling water until it turns into a smooth, stretchy mass that is shaped into a mound. You pinch off a piece, roll it in your palm and dip it into the sauce. Here the sauce is made with tomato, onion, red palm oil and smoked fish.
Instructions
- Heat the palm oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook the onion for 6 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and tomato paste for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, chili, 250 ml water and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes break down, then add the smoked fish and simmer 10 minutes more. Keep warm.
- For the gozo, bring 500 ml of the water to a boil in a heavy pot. Stir 100 g (3/4 cup) of the cassava flour into the remaining 200 ml cold water until smooth.
- Whisk the paste into the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until thick and translucent. Lower the heat.
- Add the remaining flour in 3 additions, stirring hard with a sturdy wooden spoon and pressing out lumps against the side of the pot.
- Keep stirring for 5 minutes until the paste is stiff, smooth and glossy. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 3 minutes.
- Scoop into wet bowls, turn out into mounds and serve hot with the smoked fish sauce.
Tips
- Use cassava flour sold for cooking. The paste should be smooth and stretchy, so add a splash of boiling water at the end if it feels dry.
- Smoked mackerel, catfish or herring all work as smoked fish. Rinse very salty fish in hot water before using.
Questions and answers
Is gozo the same as fufu?
They are close cousins. Gozo is made from cassava flour stirred in boiling water, while fufu may be pounded from boiled cassava, plantain or yam.
How do you eat gozo?
By hand. Pinch off a small piece, roll it into a ball, make a dent with your thumb and scoop up the sauce.
Can I reheat leftover gozo?
Gozo is best fresh, since it stiffens as it cools. Steam leftovers for 5 minutes, or slice and fry them.
How long does it take to make Gozo with Smoked Fish Tomato Sauce (Central African Cassava Paste)?
About 1 h 5 min in total: 20 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Gozo with Smoked Fish Tomato Sauce (Central African Cassava Paste)?
About 415 kcal per serving, with 13 g of protein, 70 g of carbohydrates and 9 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 415 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| Fat | 9 g |
| Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Sodium | 560 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
