Moambe is a Congolese stew made with vegetables, spices, and meat, usually chicken. It is flavored with a special sauce made from African oil palm, called moambe sauce or palm butter. Peanut butter can be used as a substitute. The stew is simmered for about an hour and can also be prepared as a chicken dish with gravy.
The national dish in Congo, moambe is a type of African stew. Usually made from vegetables, spices, and chicken, any meat can be used, including game. Moambe is also a term for the special sauce, made from African oil palm, that is used in this and other dishes.
The vegetables in moambe are usually green and leafy, like spinach or kale. The stew will also include tomatoes, which can be fresh or canned, but are always diced. Condiments and spices include chili or cayenne pepper, onions, and lemon or grapefruit juice. Salt is usually added to taste when the dish is complete.
Some recipes may also include nutmeg, butter and tomato sauce. Moambe can also be prepared as a chicken dish with gravy, rather than a stew, using whole chicken parts, such as legs. When using chicken in stew, a whole chicken is often used, which is simply cut into pieces.
Moambe also includes greenish moambe sauce. The sauce is made from the fruit of the oil palm. The fruit is boiled and the skin and seeds are removed so that only the pulp remains. Often this sauce is simply called palm butter because its consistency is similar to that of dairy butter.
If palm butter is not available, vegetable oil can be used. Peanut butter is also a common substitute for moambe sauce. In fact, many nontraditional recipes call for peanuts better than salsa. Although most people consider this stew moambe when made with peanut butter, it is technically called muamba nsusu.
To make moambe, the meat is cut into chunks and added to juice, pepper or other spices for marinating. Once the meat has been marinated, the onions are cooked through and then the meat is browned with the onion. Tomatoes and water are included after the meat browns. Finally, the palm butter and vegetables are placed in the pot and the stew simmers for about an hour.
Often those recipes that use peanut butter instead of palm butter don’t marinate the meat first. The meat may instead be boiled or simmered for about an hour with just salt and pepper for seasoning before adding the other ingredients. Alternatively, the spices, onion and tomatoes can be sauteed, then boiled chicken and broth can be included and simmered before adding the peanut butter. If you make the chicken pot instead of the stew, the entire meal is then cooked through.
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