Ingredients
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4 lbs chicken thighs
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1/4 cup red palm oil
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1 large yellow onion
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3 cloves garlicpressed
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6 oz can tomato paste
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1 large tomato ripe heirloom tomatoesdiced
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1" root gingergrated
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1 tsp red pepper flakes
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1 cup water
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to taste sea salt
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1/2 cup peanut butteroptional - see post!
Directions
Can you believe this is the 50th country we’ve visited this year on our culinary journey?! Poulet à la Moambé, or chicken in red palm oil, is considered the national dish of both the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo; as I mentioned when we tried Ndizi Wa Nazi back in March, the cuisine of the two countries has a lot of overlap. I might have guessed that the two were at one time one nation, but I would be wrong. The Republic of Congo – formerly Congo-Brazzaville – received full independence from France in 1960. After becoming Africa’s first Marxist-Leninist state from 1970 to 1991, the Republic of Congo had its first multi-party elections in 1992, but the democratically elected government was ousted in 1997 and President Sassou Nguesso – a long-term ruler of the former one-party state – has ruled for 26 of the past 36 years.
Anyways, this dish is popular across central Africa and Gabon has a very similar national dish called Poulet Nyembwe. Moambé and Nyembwe both mean “palm butter.” Red palm butter is made from the ripe red fruit which surrounds the seed of the African oil palm.
You will notice I have peanut butter on the ingredient list as “optional.” Many of the recipes for this dish that I found on the internet called for peanut butter, so that’s how I made this dish. Upon further research, I actually believe that the more traditional method of making this dish does not include adding peanut butter. It seems like perhaps these recipes have combiled moambe and groundnut stew, common in Northern Africa. I’m curious what it would taste like without the peanut butter, as it’s such a dominant flavor. If you decide not to add the peanut butter, I recommend increasing the amount of palm oil to 6 Tbsps.
I served this with sweet fried plantains, and a rice similar to this potage de riz aux epinards – except I used the kale I got from Hungry Harvest rather than spinach, and used 1 cup rice.
Recipe Source: Explorers Kitchen
Steps
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1
Done
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Heat palm oil in a large Dutch oven on high until nearly smoking. Brown the chicken in batches, about 3-4 minutes per side; remove and set-aside. |
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2
Done
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Turn heat to medium-low and sauté onions until golden brown, 5-7 minutes, Add garlic stirring constantly and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. |
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3
Done
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Add tomato paste, continuing to stir, cooking until paste darkens slightly, about 3 minutes Mix in diced tomatoes, ginger, red pepper flakes, water and salt. Return chicken to Dutch oven, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. |
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4
Done
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If using peanut butter, ladle off about 1-2 cups of sauce and mix thoroughly with peanut butter in a small bowl. Return mixture to Dutch oven and simmer uncovered for 5-10 more minutes. |
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5
Done
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Serve over rice with greens and fried plantains! |
3 Comments Hide Comments
Hi there! This is Patrick from Explorers Kitchen. Thanks for trying the recipe! I came to the same conclusion that you did about the peanut butter after getting some feedback from a reader from the Republic of Congo. I’ve been meaning to write a follow-up post showing my experience with her recipe. Both are delicious, but very different from each other. Cheers!
Patrick, I can’t wait to hear about it!
I lived in the Congo for years (in the Kasai) and had (and made) this regularly. The recipe seems authentic to my experience, with some exceptions that might be specific to the Kasai.
When using palm oil it is important (especially cruder forms) to bring it to a smoke point where it gains a nuttier flavor. We did not have ginger or garlic, but would have used them if they were available. And, of course, we only had fresh tomatoes (not paste). We also used chili peppers to spice it up.
As for peanut butter, we had it both ways. Some folks included it and some did not. I like it with a tad. (BTW, crawdads in a pounded squash seed/palm oil sauce is to die for.)
It can be served with rice, but more often we had Bidia (aka fufu aka cassava paste). Bidia is cassava flour cut with corn meal and shaped into a sticky ball.
Normally it’s consumed with copious Palm Wine, which I have never found in the West. Perhaps some kind of Nigori Sake might come closest in flavor. (oddly enough.)
Thanks for your recipe, brings back memories! Now I have to go give it a try! 🙂