Mbongo Tchobi (African Spicy Black Stew)
First encounters with African spicy black stew, known to most people as mbongo tchobi, can be disconcerting for Westerners. Also known as bongo, it’s an earthy, spicy, black, tomato-based sauce with a smooth, thick, and velvety texture. The distinctive taste and color are achieved by burning hiomi (Mbongo stick or garlic tree bark) over a hot open flame. Then it is blended and incorporated into the tomato stew with other spices.
I admit I was taken aback by its gray black color the first time my Auntie offered me a plate of this stew. But now, I’m a big fan, and most people brave enough to try it find it quite appetizing. The ingredients aren’t always easy to locate, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
I intensify the flavor by lightly toasting the njansa and then adding garlic, basil, and parsley. This spicy stew is frequently cooked in both homes and restaurants in Cameroon. The Bassa tribe, specifically in the Littoral Region, calls it theirs. You can serve it with boiled sweet plantains or any starchy side.
What Makes African Black Stew Unique
Mbongo tchobi’s star ingredient is hiomi (produced by burning the bark of the mbongo or garlic tree). That is what gives the stew its iconic color. To top it off, you have njansa (a nutty West African spice similar in taste to groundnuts), alligator pepper, which is related to black cardamom (also known as grains of paradise), and African nutmeg (or ehuru).
These beloved spices are widely grown in West Africa and some Caribbean countries. They can get expensive, but you can buy them in sachets specifically for the mbongo tchobi stew at a West African store or online (I’ve seen them on Etsy and Amazon).
Note: Just so you know, garlic trees are NOT the same as garlic. Afrostyrax lepidophyllus is a tree native to West Africa with a unique garlic-like flavor in the bark.
How to Make Mbongo Tchobi
- Grind your spices or use pre-ground, premixed spices. (Photos 1-2)
- Pour hot water over the catfish in the sink, let it sit for a minute, then rinse and clean the fish (this removes the sliminess). Skip this if using a different white fish. Set aside.
- Toast the njansa lightly for about 5 minutes. Set aside. (Photos 3-4)
- Chop the tomatoes, onions, and green onions, and put them in a food processor or blender. Add njansa, garlic, basil, and parsley. A little water makes blending easier if desired. Blend until puree. (Photo 5)
- Heat a saucepan with oil, then add the tomato mixture with very little water, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Photo 6)
- Assembly – Add mbongo spice, fish, bouillon powder, and salt to the mixture; simmer for another 10 minutes or more until the fish is cooked through. Add water as necessary to prevent burning. (Photos 7-8)
- Adjust for seasonings with salt or Maggi. Serve warm with boiled plantains.
Tips and Notes
- If you’re on a non-African continent, you may be able to find mbongo spices in an ethnic grocery store. And if you don’t want to go all out, you can purchase smaller amounts of the premixed spices in little sachets with the work already done for you. You can find it online as well.
- While catfish is the traditional choice, any firm-fleshed white fish will work.
- I clean my catfish with hot water before proceeding for a better taste and texture.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Yes, you can make this a day ahead and reheat it, but I do think fish is best fresh. It also freezes well for 3-4 months.
What Pairs With African Spicy Black Stew
Steamed or boiled plantains are traditional, but feel free to concentrate the flavor with baked plantains. If you’d like stewed greens and ugali or fufu, feel free.
More Flavorful African Stews to Try
Watch How to Make It
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Mbongo Tchobi (Spicy Black Stew)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds (1.5kg) white fish cut into steaks
- 10 njansa
- ½ large onion
- 4 large tomatoes
- ¼ cup (15-16g) parsley
- ½ cup (12-15g) basil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 green onions
- ¼-½ cup (60-118ml) vegetable oil
- 4-6 tablespoons (48-72g) mbongo spice (about half a 4-ounce jar of the ready-made spice mix)
- 1 tablespoon (10-12g) bouillon powder or 2 Maggi cubes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- If using catfish, pour hot water over it in the sink, let it sit for a minute, then rinse and clean it to remove the sliminess. Skip this step if you're using a different fish. Set aside.
- Lightly toast the njansa in a hot skillet for about 5 minutes, and set aside.
- Chop the tomatoes, onions, and green onions, and put them in a food processor or blender. Add njansa, garlic, basil, and parsley. A little water makes blending easier if desired. Blend until pureed.
- Heat a saucepan with oil, then add the tomato mixture with very little water, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add mbongo spice, fish, bouillon powder, and salt to the mixture; simmer for another 10 minutes or more until the fish is cooked through. Add water as necessary to prevent burning.
- Adjust for seasonings with salt or Maggi. Serve warm with boiled plantains.
Tips & Notes:
- We use more oil in our cooking than Americans usually do. Feel free to reduce the oil or omit it entirely if your diet requires it.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the ingredients used in the recipe.
I loved this recipe so much!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it, Jane.
hey thanks for the recipe but i really wanna try it with goat meat. Is that okay
Hi Milley! Yes you can substitute the fish.
Where do I find the ingredients for this recipe?
Hi Matip! You can try your local supermarket or maybe someone from our readers can help out depending on where you are. Thanks!
Beautiful. inviting n real.
Tanx 4 sharing
You’re welcome. Enjoy!
Hello, I wish to try out your recipe but I don’t understand the part where you have to fry the njansang and after frying what next is being done with it. Is it to add it to with the tomato paste and grind together or how? Am confused here dear needs and answer. Thanks
Hello Bertha,
Sorry about the confusion. After frying you blend with onions and rest of the ingredients.
Thank you for the recipe. I just tried and it’s perfect. Your recipe is simple, well explained.
Thanks for sharing with us
Awesome! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
I made MBONGO TCHOBI last and my husband absolutely loved it. i followed everything on your recipe and it was so good.
God bless you dear.
i’ll definitely try out more recipes on your blog.
Glad you love it, Hannah. And thank you for letting me know. 🙂
wow – I consider myself pretty well educated when it comes to spices and herbs, but in your article I discovered many I had not encountered before, possibly because they are named differently to how I know them, but very possibly also, because they are new to me. Great article. Poli
Thank you so much for all your receipes. I am keen reader and fan and i must admit i have used your receipes to cook many dishes. am gonna cook mbongo tchobi now
Awesome! Thanks for giving my recipes a try. Do let me know how this works for you.
Was just wondering if I could substitute the fish with something else?
Yes, I have seen it done with chicken before.
Hi , I love your website and thanks for bringing these amazing recipes to us.
Your presentation is very easy to follow!!
Hi Gwen, glad you like them. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thanks for all your awesome recipes! So my mom sends me already ground njansang paste… so would you say about 1 or 2 tablespoons would be enough?? Thanks
Yes, 1-2 tablespoons would do just fine. Please let me know how it turns out. Thanks!
hello, am elated with ur recipe but what are green onion, parsley and basil? i mean in lay language. thks
hey thanks so much for tthe recipe. i wish to find out if i can cook mbongo with fried fish cus i don’t eat boiled fish. thanks in advance
Carine, It would not hurt to fry your fish.
so i’m a single male right, i got a friend who just came back from Africa and brought these Mbongo Spices. It’s my traditional dish, but i don’t know how to cook it… yes i know, not cool. I’m taking a challenge with this recipe now. i hope it works cuz my girl is one of the judge. lol
I will keep my fingers cross…. I know it is going to taste great and your girl will give you the thumbs up! Let me know how it works for you!
i hope so too
From the moment I came upon your blog, I have been amazed at the recipes you present. You give excellent tips for some people like us who are unable to make These dishes just like we remember them from home. I had been looking for an alternative to making Ekwang using other green leaves, and been searching for kondre and Achu recipes for ages! Finally thanks to your blog, my search has been brought to a happy end. Thank you so so much for all of these wonderful recipes, and ideas.
Finally made this. Taste really good, unfortunately for me I am almost out of the spice. Where I live I can’t find it anywhere. Anyway, when ever I go back home will bring more. Thanks.
Hi I love your website!!! Someone from Canada referred me to your website for the Mbongo Tchobi recipe. I love what you’re doing and I will try this recipe tonight. Thank you for doing this. I like the portion sizes as well as the fact that you’re not just limited to just African food. I wish more people would know about your blog, will pass this along. The presentation is professional!
Mispa, thanks for writing and for such high praise. I am super excited to hear you would spread the word about Immaculatebites.
Nice
What is Njansa and where can I purchase it?
Njansa is an oily seed used as a flavoring agent in most West African countries. They are available in some African stores depending on your location.
Thanks for your response, and I love your page by the way. Do you think I can purchase it online?
hi thanks for the tips i just finished cooking it and its the most delicious mbongo tchobi i ve ever stewed
Thanks elodie, am glad you enjoyed your bongo.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have Mbongo Tchobi spice at home but didn’t know how to prepare it. I will use it now with this recipe. I saw you have quite a bit of Njansa on the pictures. Did you mean 10 grains of Njangsa? Thanks!!
Yes, 10 grains not more than 15, njansa can be very over powering sometimes.I was making a large amount of this sauce .By the way it tastes even better the next day.
I am in Chicago where can I buy njansa and mobongo spice I have afrien in real who is from Cameroon plus I enjoy cooking
Benazir, I do not know anyone that sells these spices in Chicago. I will be on the look out.