Seafood mwamba
Salt cod, white fish, shrimp, sardines, and crab simmered in a creamy peanut sauce and served with rice or fufu. Known as moambe (also mwambe, mwamba, or muamba), this Central African sauce is better known as the base of a chicken stew regarded as a national dish in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Gabon. This version uses fish and shellfish instead.
Ingredients
Instructions
If you are using dried salt cod, soak it in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water several times. Drain, remove any skin and bones, and cut the cod into pieces. Pat all the seafood dry.
To make the peanut sauce, put the peanuts in a pot with the 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Lower the heat and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often so the peanuts do not stick, until almost all the water has evaporated. Mash with a fork or blend until you have a thick, fairly smooth paste.
Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat and cook the onion and chili for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion softens. Add the peanut paste and about 1½ cups of water, stirring until smooth, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce is creamy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
Add the salt cod and the white fish and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sardines, shrimp, and crab, stir very gently so the fish does not break up, and cook for 10 minutes more, until the fish is opaque and the shrimp are pink. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Season with pepper and taste before adding any salt, since the salt cod may still be salty.
Serve hot from a tureen or deep platter with rice or fufu.
Notes
Peanut sauce sticks and scorches easily, so stir often and keep the heat low.
For a shortcut, whisk ¾ cup of natural, unsweetened peanut butter into 2 cups of hot water or fish stock.
Red palm oil is sold in African, Caribbean, and Brazilian grocery stores and gives the stew its traditional color and flavor. Vegetable oil works if you cannot find it.
The fresh seafood goes in last because it cooks quickly and overcooks easily.
Soaking salt cod takes time, so start the day before.
Add the chili gradually and adjust the heat to taste.
Variations
The best-known moambe is made with palm nut sauce (also sold canned as palm cream, palm butter, or sauce graine) instead of peanuts, and many cooks combine the two. For that version, dilute the canned sauce following the directions on the can and use it in place of the peanut sauce.
The classic moambe is made with chicken browned first and simmered in the sauce, often with spinach, okra, tomatoes, garlic, and chili.
Okra, spinach, or eggplant can be added to this seafood version.
Source
Moambe is a family of sauces used across Central Africa, made from either the pulp of palm nuts or from peanuts, and it goes by several names, including mwambe, muamba, and moamba.
Moambe chicken is considered a national dish in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Gabon, where it is called nyembwe.
In the Republic of the Congo the peanut version of the chicken is known as muamba nsusu, and in Angola moamba de ginguba uses peanut sauce in place of palm paste. Fish and seafood are also cooked in the sauce, as in Angola’s muamba de peixe.