Congo - Fumbwa

At last, we've reached December! To start off the month I tried a recipe that was completely different from anything I've ever tried before- a Congolese spinach stew called Fumbwa.

First of all, I should note that I had to make a couple of substitutions in this recipe. It's very difficult to find catfish in this part of Canada, let alone smoked catfish, so I had to use smoked salmon instead. Also, I was unable to find red palm oil, which is why my stew ended up looking more brown than yellow like it did in the recipe. Instead, I had to use peanut oil, but even in spite of those changes, the whole thing turned out pretty well!

This whole dish was full of surprises. First was that it was incredibly simple to make. I did not expect for the whole thing to take as little time and effort as it did. Secondly, I would never have expected all the ingredients to work together. There are so many distinct flavours involved in this dish, and somehow they do come together and become really tasty as a result! Finally, I did not expect for there to be a recipe that involves peanut butter that I would like, and yet here it is!

All in all, this surprising stew was quite the success, and I was very happy with the result!

FIRSTS THIS WEEK:

• cooked with smoked fish
• added oil to a dish after the other ingredients (not first)
• learned about red palm oil

RECIPES I USED: 

• Fumbwa: https://www.thespruceeats.com/fumbwa-recipe-congolese-wild-spinach-stew-39465