Benin | Main dish

Amiwo

Name: Amiwo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Benin, West Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups fine cornmeal; 4 medium tomatoes, blended; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 200 g crab meat, cleaned; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; ¼ cup palm oil or vegetable oil; 3 cups water, or chicken stock; salt, to taste; black pepper, to taste

A savoury red corn porridge cooked in a rich tomato and crab sauce. The cornmeal absorbs the tomato colour and flavour, turning a beautiful red-orange.

Country

Benin

Region

West Africa

Time

60 min

Serves

Level

medium

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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Amiwo, also called red paste, is a Beninese cornmeal dish cooked with tomato, onion, oil, and seasoning until it sets into a savory mound. It is commonly served for family meals and celebrations with chicken, fish, or a tomato-pepper sauce.

What the dish tastes like

A savoury red corn porridge cooked in a rich tomato and crab sauce. The cornmeal absorbs the tomato colour and flavour, turning a beautiful red-orange.

When to cook it

Best for Celebrations and ceremonies, with a medium cooking level and about 60 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Fried chicken or grilled fish

Regional lane

Benin national table. A verified Benin dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.

Amiwo recipe image — Amiwo finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Amiwo

Fried chicken or grilled fish

Best route from here

Benin national table

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Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Main dish

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Benin

5 steps 60 min total medium

Make the tomato sauce

Heat oil, fry onion and garlic until soft. Add tomato paste and cook 3 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, salt, and black pepper, then cook until reduced and thick, about 15 minutes.

Cook sauce 15:00

Add crab

Add crab meat to the sauce and stir. Cook for 5 minutes.

Cook crab 05:00

Add cornmeal

Add 3 cups water to the sauce. Bring to a boil. Gradually sprinkle in cornmeal while stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

Cook the amiwo

Reduce heat to low. Stir continuously for 15-20 minutes until the cornmeal is cooked through and pulls away from the pot sides.

The colour should be a vibrant red-orange.

Cook amiwo 20:00

Serve

Shape into a mound on a plate. Serve with fried chicken or grilled fish.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Amiwo

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Amiwo

Step-by-step method

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