Mbongo Tchobi: A very delicious Cameroonian black soup

This dish is quite scary when you see it for the first time but you will be quite amazed by the taste when you summon enough courage to have a taste.

Mbongo Tchobi is a very appetizing grey-black dish that is frequently cooked in homes and restaurants in Cameroon, specifically in the littoral province among the Bassa Tribe.

Also known as Bongo- an earthy spicy black tomato-based sauce with a smooth, thick, and velvety texture; its distinctive taste and colour are achieved by burning “hiomi” (Mbongo stick) over a hot open flame and it is mostly served with boiled sweet plantains or any starchy side.

Cooking time

55 minutes

Recipe category

Main Dish

Recipe cuisine

Cameroonian Dish

Cooking method

Frying/Stewing

Recipe Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

3 pounds of white fish cut up in steaks

Njansa – 10

½ large onion

4 large tomatoes

¼ cup parsley

½ cup basil

4 cloves garlic

2 green onions

½ – 1 cup vegetable oil

4-6 tablespoons mbongo spice

1 tablespoon bouillon powder or 2 Maggi cubes

Salt to taste

Instructions

If using catfish ,pour hot water over the fish in the sink, let it sit for a minute, then rinse and clean the fish (this removes all the sliminess of the fish). Skip this if you using any other white fish. Set aside
Lightly fry njansa for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Chop the tomatoes, onions, green onions and place in a food processor or blender- add njansa, garlic, basil, parsley with a little bit of water if using a blender to facilitate blending. Blend until puree.
Heat up a saucepan with oil, then add the tomatoes mixture, with very little water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add mbongo spice, fish, Maggi and salt to the mixture; simmer for another 10 minutes or more until fish is cooked through. Add water as necessary to prevent burns.
Adjust for seasonings with salt or Maggi.

Your Mbongo Tchobi is ready! Serve with boiled sweet plantains or any starchy side.