
Thick Malian millet or sorghum porridge served with vegetable or peanut sauce.
Tô is the quintessential staple of Mali and much of the Sahel region. A stiff, smooth porridge made from millet or sorghum flour, it is shaped into a mound and served alongside flavorful sauces — most commonly a rich peanut (tigadèguèna) or leafy vegetable sauce.
Serves 4
Whisk flour with 1 cup of cold water until smooth.
Bring remaining 3 cups of water and salt to a boil in a heavy pot.
Pour slurry into boiling water while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and stir vigorously for 15 minutes until very thick and the dough leaves the sides.
Wet a bowl, place tô inside, smooth the top, and invert onto a plate. Serve surrounded by sauce.
Stir without stopping to prevent lumps.
A moistened bowl ensures the tô releases cleanly.
Use maize flour for a milder flavour.
Mix half millet, half sorghum for a nuttier taste.
Refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat with a little water.
Tô has fed generations across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger for millennia, sustaining farmers and herders through the long dry seasons.
Tigadèguèna (peanut sauce) and leaf sauces made with baobab or sorrel are traditional.
Yes — fine cornmeal produces a similar result.
Per serving (250g) · 4 servings total
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