Tag: Central African
Moambe Chicken
Moambe Chicken
This is the first Congolese recipe on stonedsoup.net! Moambe chicken is the national dish of both Democratic Republic of Congo(formerly Zaire) and the Republic of Congo. Moambe is a tomato based sauce with peanut butter mixed in. Chicken pieces get seared, then simmered in the sauce until cooked through. Serve the stewed chicken with rice and fried plantains.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone in chicken thighs
- 6 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 green onions minced
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat up 4 tbsp of cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the chicken for 5-6 minutes a side. Remove from the pot.
- Add in the remaining oil and sauté the onions for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes, green onion, garlic, ginger, and chili flakes. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the water. Season with salt. Add the chicken back in. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Mix 1 cup of the sauce with the peanut butter.
- Mix the peanut butter sauce back into the pot.
- Simmer for 10 more minutes, uncovered.
Cosa-Cosa Camarao
Cosa-Cosa Camarao
With Angola being heavily influenced by Portuguese cuisine and being on the western coast of Africa, shrimp and peri peri make a perfect pair. Cosa-cosa translates to hot-hot, which these definetily are. The shrimp only take 4 minutes on the grill or under the broiler, making this a quick and easy go to.
Equipment
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 1 lb 16/20 ct. shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 lime juiced
- 4 tbsp peri peri sauce plus more for dipping
Instructions
- Season the shrimp with sea salt. Let marinate for 30 minutes, then toss with the lime juice.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place 5 shrimp on each skewer. Brush each side with peri peri sauce. Place the skewers on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil for 2 minutes a side.
Kanda
Kanda
As the name says, the Central African Republic is located in the heart of Central Africa. Kanda is a popular dish of beef meatballs simmered in a tomato sauce, served with steamed rice. What sets these meatballs apart from others is that ground toasted pumpkin seeds are used in place of breadcrumbs. They add a texture to the meatballs that I now wish all meatballs had. The meatballs also are thrown in uncooked into the sauce. They turn out extremely tender. Considering how basic this entire recipe is, there is no shortness of flavor. Instead of serving the meatballs with pasta, they are served with rice.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 cups pumpkin seeds
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes diced
- 3 bird’s eye chilies chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups water
- salt to taste
Garnish
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a cold, dry pan. Turn the heat to medium. Dry toast for 5 minutes.
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a food processor. Grind into a powder.
- Place the onions, garlic, and parsley in the food processor. Purée. Mix with the ground beef, ground pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper.
- Roll into golf ball sized meatballs. Place in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes and chilies. Season with salt. Cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste. Pour in the water. Give the pan a stir. Add in the meatballs. Place the cover on a simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and simmer for a few more minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.
