Muamba de Galinha
This is one of the dishes that I was worried about (I know it seems as if I’m worried about them all!) due to the fact that it contains a huge amount of oil and not only any oil but palm oil – this is a bright orange, semisolid oil that smells a bit like candle wax. It comes from the fruit of palm trees and is used all over Africa as a cooking oil. It turns out that it really is just like any other cooking oil so if you can’t find it or just don’t fancy the idea, you can substitute it with olive oil or sunflower oil with a couple teaspoons of paprika for colour. Beware the palm oil has a tendency to spit hot orange everywhere so protect your clothing, your kitchen and your face by having a lid at hand - I ended up dancing around the kitchen yelping!
Locating and buying this palm oil turned out to be an experience - I wandered into an African shop in Moore Street Market not really knowing what I was looking for and sure enough I came across a carton labeled ‘palm oil’. I was then approached by a jolly African woman who laughed at the prospect of me cooking with such a thing. The following is a summary of our conversation (You’ll have to imagine the African accent yourself)…
African Woman “You eat African food? Ah he ha ha ha ha, ha ho ho ”
Me “No eh, not really, but I would like to try”
African Woman “What you buying this for? What you do with it? Ha ha ha, he he he”
Me “Eh, I’m going to cook it with some eh, chicken..?”
(I couldn't remember the name Muamba de Galinha, but even if I had remembered it, I wouldn't have been able to pronounce it.)
African Woman (Patting me on the back) “Ha ha hee hee….”
Me “and, eh, make a, eh, stew…?”
African Woman (walking away) “Ah ha he ha ha ha ha ha …….”
I can only hope that I will run into her again soon!
Her reaction was another reason I was nervous about the palm oil but I can report that Muamba de Galinha was another successful dinner. So if you’re bored of your regular spag bol and fancy something a little more adventurous take a trip down to your local African market and give it go!
4 chicken thighs
Juice of ½ lemon
125 ml palm oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, quartered
2 birds eye chili’s, seeds in, chopped
½ squash, peeled, cored, cut into bite-sized pieces
10 okra, sliced into disks.
A tbsp of paprika
A tbsp of cumin
Salt and Pepper
Marinade the chicken thighs with the lemon juice for about an hour. Struggle to add the palm oil to the pan and brown the chicken on all sides. The oil is seriously splattery and seriously orange – expect the chicken to orange not brown! To the chicken, add the onion, garlic, chili and tomato and cook for about half an hour.
Throw in the squash and cook for another 15 minutes until nearly soft.
Throw in the okra and the additional paprika and cumin – this is where canned palm soup base is required but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Paprika and cumin are probably nothing like it but they give it an extra kick of flavor. Simmer for a few minutes or until the okra is tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve with rice. Then marvel over how you’ve cooked something authentically Angolan.
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