Kondowole
Vegetarian
A smooth, stretchy staple made by beating cassava flour into boiling water, eaten in northern and lakeshore Malawi with fish and leafy relishes.
Kondowole is a Malawian side dish, ready in about 17 minutes and made with cassava flour. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 2 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 17 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 269
Method
Step 1
Bring the water to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan (opens in a new tab).
- 5 min
- high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
Step 2
Lower the heat and add the cassava flour (opens in a new tab) gradually, beating hard and continuously with a wooden spoon to stop lumps forming.
- 5 min
- medium-low heat
Step 3
Keep stirring and folding until the mixture turns smooth, slightly translucent and stretchy, then cover and steam for 2–3 minutes. Shape with a wet spoon and serve hot.
- 5 min
- low heat
Food safety: Use only commercially processed cassava flour, which has been treated to be safe.
About this dish
- Origin
- Northern Region and lakeshore, Malawi · Commonly attributedMore food from Malawi
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Porridge & cereals
- Cooking method
- Boiled
- Taste
- mild
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style - Good for
- Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- Cassava flour
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
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
Estimated1 serving ≈ 263 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 0%
- Carbohydrate 100%
- Fat 0%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 269 kcal | 102 kcal |
| Protein | 0.1 g | 0.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 66.5 g | 25.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 65.8 g | 25.1 g |
| Sugars | 2.5 g | 1 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g | 0.3 g |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 5 mg | 2 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 8 mg
- Calcium
- 34 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 5 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 3 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.
- Cassava flour: Dry pearl tapioca (FDC 169717) used as a stand-in; cassava flour is the whole dried root so it has a little more fibre, but energy and carbohydrate are very close.
- “—” 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
- Wet your spoon and hands with cold water so the kondowole does not stick when shaping.
Common mistakes
- Adding the flour too quickly — beat it in gradually or lumps form that never smooth out.
Serve with
- Serve with fried or stewed fish, nkhwani or bean relish.
Storage
- Best eaten freshly made.
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.
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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