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Mbanga (plat de noix de palme): recipe illustration
Everyday meals

Mbanga (plat de noix de palme)

A traditional dish of palm nut sauce, pounded palm nut paste simmered with fish and chilli. Creamy and fragrant, it is served with rice or cassava and remains a symbol of Equatoguinean home cooking.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

On the side

Instructions

  1. Season the fish pieces with salt and pepper, then set aside.
  2. Finely chop the onions and crush the garlic. Pound the chilli.
  3. In a large pot, heat the palm oil and sweat the onions, garlic and chilli for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the palm nut paste and dilute it with the lukewarm water, stirring to avoid lumps.
  5. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes over low heat, until it thickens and becomes creamy.
  6. Lay the fish pieces in the sauce and continue cooking for 20 minutes, covered. Adjust the seasoning and serve with rice or cassava.

Variations and tips

Shrimp version. Add pounded dried shrimp to the sauce for a more marine flavour.

Using what's available here. Palm nut paste can be found in African grocery shops; otherwise, make a purée from a jar of palm nuts.

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Original Ecomely recipe.