How To Cook Dambu Cucumber Bites

I love the Hausa meat snack called Dambu...its fascinating to see how its actually made into this really fluffy cotton wool ball texture...

Sometime ago I tried making some home made dambu, and while I give myself 90%, the original traditionally made ones still score the top mark. There are some recipes that you just cannot replicate at home just because you do not have the right utensils to get the desired results.,,,hhhmm moving on......................

So, dambu nama is sold every where in Lagos, there is even a red version which is made from kilishi.....so what did ! do?,,, I bought a couple to store up in my fridge until ideas on how to use them come,,,,, and they did.

Dambu fibers are so thin and delicate, but also still quite textured in the mouth. I love their ability to "twingle" (intertwine and mingle) with flavours when combined with other ingredients. So when combined dambu with some avocado spiced with black pepper and salt and served with cucumbers and tomatoes as a salad canape, it was a hit.... (you can vary the things you add to the cucumbers like onions, chilies, etc)

Try some.


What you need

• Danbu nama (best purchased from a reliable seller. Buy both varieties)
• Avocado pear
• Large cucumbers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Black pepper
• Salt

What to do

1. Core the cucumbers, removing the seeds. Some cucumbers tend to have very tough skin so it is ideal to peel the skin off too, otherwise the tough texture will affect your enjoyment of this dish. Then slice into big chunk across the width. Also cut the sliced chunks into half moons. Set aside. 
2. Now dice the avocado pear finely seasoning with black pepper and sea salt. 
3. Also finely slice your tomatoes across the length. 
4. Now fill the cucumber half moons with some avocado, followed by a small heap of the dambu finishing off with a slice of tomato. You are done...!