How to Make Pap (Ogi / Akamu): West Africa's Fermented Corn Porridge in the UAE

By the Mekazon Kitchen

If there's one pack in the Mekazon pantry that gets more "what do I actually do with this?" messages than any other, it's pap flour. Nigerians know it as ogi or akamu, Ghanaians know a close cousin as koko, and if you grew up on it, a bowl of hot, faintly tangy corn porridge is the taste of home. Here's how to turn a pack of pap flour into the real thing, right in your UAE kitchen — and what to eat it with.

What Is Pap Flour? Ogi, Akamu and Koko Explained

Pap flour is milled from fermented maize, and it's the same basic staple known by different names across West Africa. Yoruba speakers in Nigeria call it ogi; Igbo speakers call it akamu (a cereal pudding eaten across Nigeria, Benin and Togo). In Ghana, a related fermented porridge goes by koko — traditionally millet-based in the north, though corn versions exist too (more on koko's origins here). Whatever the name on the pack, it's the same idea: soaked, fermented, finely ground grain that cooks up into a smooth, gently sour porridge — the kind of breakfast that's easy on the stomach after a fast, a night shift, or a long flight home to Dubai.

How Ogi Is Traditionally Made

The traditional method takes patience: dried corn is soaked in water for a few days, ground into a paste, sieved to remove the husk, and left to ferment naturally before it's cooked fresh or dried into flour. That resting, fermenting stretch — the same broad family of natural process behind Ghana's koko — is what gives the porridge its characteristic tang; it isn't a shortcut people skip when they can, it's the entire point of the dish. Done properly, the paste should smell faintly sour and clean, never off. Pap Flour UAE has already done the soaking, grinding and fermenting for you, so making a bowl at home takes minutes, not days — no mortar, no multi-day wait, no sieve cloth to track down.

How to Make Pap (Ogi/Akamu) at Home in the UAE

• Mix a paste. Stir 3–4 tablespoons of pap flour into a little cold water until it's smooth and completely lump-free. This step matters — a lumpy paste means a lumpy porridge.
• Boil water. Bring about a cup of water (or milk, for a richer bowl) to a rolling boil in a small saucepan.
• Combine. Pour the boiling water into the paste while stirring briskly (or pour the paste into the boiling water, whichever your hands find easier), keeping the heat on.
• Cook it through. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens and turns glossy and slightly translucent.
• Serve hot — sweetened with sugar and a splash of evaporated or condensed milk for a classic breakfast, or plain alongside something savoury.

What to Eat With Your Pap

On its own, pap is usually sweetened and finished with milk. For a heartier plate, the classic Nigerian pairing is akara or moin moin, both made from Honey Beans UAE (ewa oloyin) — we've written up the full method in our akara and moin moin guide. In Ghana, koko is traditionally paired with koose, a bean-cake cousin of akara made the same way. Some households also stir in a little sugar, ginger or milk to taste, or eat it savoury alongside a stew. If you're building out a West African breakfast pantry, a pack of pap and a bag of honey beans is the place to start; browse the rest of our West Africa · Swallow & Flours collection for garri, plantain fufu and more.

FAQ

What's the difference between ogi, akamu and koko?
They're regional names for close relatives of the same dish. Ogi and akamu are the Yoruba and Igbo names used in Nigeria for fermented corn porridge; koko is the Ghanaian name for a similar dish, traditionally made from corn or millet depending on the region.

Do I need to ferment the corn myself before I can cook it?
No. Pap Flour UAE is already milled from fermented, dried corn, so all you're doing is mixing it into a paste and cooking it through — you get the same familiar sour flavour without the multi-day soak.

Where can I buy pap flour in the UAE?
Mekazon delivers it across Dubai and the wider UAE, alongside the honey beans, garri and other West African pantry staples you'll want alongside it.

Ready to stock your pantry? Shop Pap Flour UAE and the rest of our West Africa collection — authentic African groceries, delivered to your door across the UAE.