Gboma Dessi
This is the first Togolese recipe on stonedsoup.net! Togo is a small West African country on the Gulf of Guinea, in between Ghana and Benin. Togolese cuisine is made up of African, French, and German influences. Tomato and spinach is a popular combination, which happens to be the base of this every so tasty dish, gboma dessi. A spicy tomato sauce is simmered down. Then spinach is stirred in, followed by sautéed chicken that was seasoned with commonly used spices such as ajowan seeds, anise, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. What really stands out to me in this dish is the texture the ground pumpkin seeds add to the sauce. It reminds me of what a scoop of ricotta does to an Italian tomato sauce. You can serve gboma dessi with rice, potatoes, or polenta.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2” pieces
- 1 tsp ajowan seeds ground
- 1 tsp anise seeds ground
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1-3 habanero
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds ground
- salt to taste
- 1 lb spinach washed
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the ajowan, anise, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the chicken for 8 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the pan.
- Heat up the other 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add in the habanero and sauté for another minute.
- Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and ground pumpkin seeds. Season with salt. Simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.
