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Togolese · West African

Ablo

Vegetarian

Small, fluffy, slightly sweet steamed cakes of rice flour and cornmeal leavened with yeast. Eaten in Togo and Benin with grilled fish, fried fish in tomato sauce or a hot pepper sauce.

Ablo is a Togolese bread, ready in about 2 hours 10 minutes and made with rice flour and cornmeal. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
1 h 30 min
Total
2 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
269

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the cornmeal (opens in a new tab) with 150 ml of the water in a small pan and cook over low heat, stirring, to a thick paste, 3 minutes. Cool to lukewarm.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Mix the rice flour (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), yeast and salt, then beat in the cornmeal (opens in a new tab) paste and remaining water to a thick, smooth batter. Cover and leave in a warm place until bubbly and nearly doubled, about 1½ hours.

    • 6 min
    • 30°C · warm place for rising

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the baking powder (opens in a new tab). Grease small cups or silicone moulds and fill them two-thirds full.

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Steam over boiling water until risen, springy and a skewer comes out clean, 15–20 minutes. Cool slightly before unmoulding.

About this dish

Origin
Togo · Commonly attributedAn Ewe and Mina food of southern Togo and Benin, also eaten in the Volta region of Ghana (as abolo).Also popular in Benin, GhanaMore food from Togo
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Side dishes
Cooking method
Steamed, Fermented
Taste
mild, sweet, sour
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
Rice flour · Cornmeal · Sugar · Dried yeast · Baking powder
Techniques
Boiling · Steaming · Fermentation

Allergens

  • May contain: Wheatfrom baking powder
  • May contain: Glutenfrom baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

269 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 135 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 6%
  • Carbohydrate 82%
  • Fat 12%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy269 kcal200 kcal
Protein4.3 g3.2 g
Carbohydrate55.2 g41 g
Net carbohydrate52.7 g39.1 g
Sugars8.5 g6.3 g
Added sugars8.3 g6.2 g
Fibre2.5 g1.9 g
Fat3.5 g2.6 g
Saturated fat0.4 g0.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium280 mg208 mg
Salt equivalent0.7 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
91 mg
Calcium
55 mg
Iron
0.8 mg
Magnesium
38 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
2 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
33 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Don't fill the moulds more than two-thirds — ablo rises a lot as it steams.

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the steamer lid in the first 10 minutes — the cakes sink.

Serve with

  • Serve with fried fish in tomato-onion sauce, grilled fish or shrimp, and pepper sauce.

Storage

  • Keep covered at room temperature 1 day, or refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Re-steam for 5 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 20 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 30 min

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Bake · about 18 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  4. Start to finish: about 2 h 8 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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