What is Atassi?
Composed of two main ingredients, namely rice and beans, Atassi is a very popular dish in the South as well as in the North, of Benin, a country in West Africa. Generally, Atassi is eaten with the traditional “Dja”, which is a fried dish made with tomatoes, spices, and oil. Others prefer it with crushed or powdered chili pepper combined with onion and oil. This dish is not called the same in all countries. Thus, in the North it is called: "Waatche". "Atassi" is more widespread in the South. Moreover, it is found outside the borders of Benin in countries such as Ghana, Togo and Nigeria. I have already seen sone food like Atassi out of Africa, but the result is not the same.
Ingredients
For 3 people, we will need:- White or brown rice 1 lbs.
- White or red beans 8 oz.
- Salt
Preparation
To prepare Atassi, boil about 33 FL oz of water and pour in the previously washed bean. Then, you must cook the beans until the seeds soften. This takes about 30 minutes if it is white beans and 1 hour if it is red beans. Sometimes, potash is added to the water to speed up cooking. Potash is a traditional stone that melts in water and has properties similar to baking soda. When the beans are half cooked, you wash the rice, add it to the beans on the fire, add salt and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. The Atassi is ready when the rice and beans are cooked and there is no more visible water in the mixture.
It's ready!
How to serve Foutou
The Atassi is eaten either with tomato sauce garnished with meat, fish, traditional fried cheese or boiled eggs. In northern Benin, the tomato sauce is replaced by red pepper powder plus oil heated for a few minutes and flavored with slices of onions. In southern Benin, some people eat it with a small portion of boiled spaghetti.