Mbongo Tchobi (Cameroonian Black Spice Stew)
Cameroon
Senior Editor
Abuja, Nigeria ·
Cookies on African Food Network
We use essential cookies to make the site work. We would also like to set analytics cookies and advertising cookies, but only if you agree. You can choose each one separately. Read our cookie policy
Abuja, Nigeria ·
Mbongo tchobi is a jet-black Cameroonian stew, usually made with fish, built on a spice that has been burnt black before grinding. It comes from the Bassa of the Littoral region and is now eaten across the country. The colour is the whole identity of the dish and the source is right that it puts people off before they taste it. It comes from mbongo spice, sometimes sold as black spice or mbongo tchobi, a mixture whose components are charred over fire until black, then ground. Burning spice deliberately, rather than toasting it, is unusual anywhere; here it produces a smoky, faintly bitter depth that nothing else reproduces, and a sauce that looks like ink and tastes rich. The other markers are njansang or akpi, lightly fried before blending, and the herbs, basil and parsley, blended raw into the base rather than added at the end. Pangasius or another white fish is what the recipe uses; catfish is traditional and the source gives the correct treatment for it, pouring hot water over it first to remove the sliminess. The source's prose is badly garbled in places, with words run together and sentences broken mid-clause. The sense has been reconstructed. Its stated serving of one person for a kilo of fish is not credible.
Mbongo tchobi is a Cameroonian stew from the Littoral region, associated particularly with the Bassa people. Its distinctive black colour comes from mbongo spice, a blend whose components are charred until black before being ground.
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself.
If using catfish, pour hot water over it in the sink, leave it a minute, then rinse and clean it, this removes the sliminess. Skip this for other white fish. Set aside.
Lightly fry the njansang or akpi for about 5 minutes and set aside.
Chop the tomatoes, onions and green onions and put them in a food processor or blender with the njansang, garlic, basil and parsley, and a little water if you are using a blender.
Blend to a smooth purée.
Warm the oil in a saucepan, then put in the blended mixture with very little water. Bring it to the boil and cook gently for about 10 minutes, turning it occasionally.
Mix in the mbongo spice, the fish, the bouillon and salt, and cook gently for another 10 minutes or more until the fish is cooked through. Add water as needed so nothing catches.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot with boiled plantains or bobolo.
Be the first to rate this recipe
Cooked it? Your rating helps the next person decide whether to try it.
No reviews on this one yet. If you have cooked it, yours would be the first.
