Republic of Congo: Moambe Chicken (Poulet à la Moambé)
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Loading... - Effia Essel
- 23 Mar 2023
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Our third country in this culinary adventure is the Congo. Specifically, we’re looking at the Republic of Congo, because now there are two Congos: Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s confusing because I grew up calling the Democratic Republic of Congo “Zaire,” but the naming changed in 1997. For clarity, I’ll refer to them as Congo for the Republic of Congo and DR Congo for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Now that the confusion is out of the way, let’s talk about some food. Congo has a culture of food stretching since it has been inhabited for over 80,000 years, but colonization by the French and Belgians has influenced the cuisine as well. There is typically a big emphasis in the meal on a starch, such as maize (corn), cassava, yam, or sweet potato. These are typically served with a sauce or protein such as goat, fish, or chicken.
Ingredients
1 3-4 lb (1.4-2 kg) chicken, quartered (or chicken pieces)
6 tablespoons (88ml) organic red palm oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
6 oz (170g) can of tomato paste
14.5oz (411g) can of diced tomatoes
Instructions
Dry chicken pieces well with paper towels
Heat heavy Dutch oven with palm oil on high until shimmering, almost smoking
Sear chicken in batches until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side, remove and set-aside
Turn heat to medium-low and sauté onions until golden brown, add garlic stirring constantly and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
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 boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Read More…
