On
Congolese stew
| Preparation time | Cooking time | Fruit & vegetable serves | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 mins* | 30 mins* | 5-6 serves per person | $4 per person |
*Cooking times are based on 4 serves. You may need to cook for less time for 2 people; more time for 6 people.
Ingredients
| Ingredient list | for 2 people | for 4 people | for 6 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetable oil | ½ tbsp | 1 tbsp | 1½ tbsp |
| Brown onion, finely diced | ½ | 1 | 1½ |
| Garlic, crushed or minced | 1 clove or 1 tsp | 2 cloves or 1 tsp | 3 cloves or 3 tsp |
| Ginger, crushed or minced | 1-2 tsp | 2-3 tsp | 1 tbsp |
| Vegetable stock | ½-1 stock cube or 1 tsp stock powder | 1-2 stock cubes or 1-2 tsp stock powder | 2-3 stock cubes or 2-3 tsp stock powder |
| Chicken stock (try salt-reduced) | ½-1 stock cube or 1 tsp stock powder | 1-2 stock cubes or 1-2 tsp stock powder | 2-3 stock cubes or 2-3 tsp stock powder |
| Salt-reduced tomato paste | 1 tbsp | 1½ tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Stir-fry beef strips or canned chickpeas, drained | 200g | 400g | 500-600g |
| Green cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded | 2 cups | 4 cups | 6 cups |
| Tomatoes, fresh or diced can | 3 fresh or 200g can | 4 fresh or 400g can | 5 fresh or 1½ x 400g can |
| Water | ½-1 cup | 1-1½ cups | 1-2 cups |
| Peanuts, crushed | ¼ cup | ½ cup | ¾ cup |
| Unsweetened peanut butter (optional) | 1 tbsp (heaped) | 1½ tbsp (heaped) | 2 tbsp (heaped) |
| Basmati rice, uncooked (optional to serve instead of sweet potato smash) | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ cups |
| Ground pepper | To taste | To taste | To taste |
Equipment
Large saucepan, chopping board and knife, bowls, measuring spoons, measuring cups, wooden spoon, soup ladle and rice cooker or saucepan.
Steps
- Cook rice as per packet instructions or make sweet potato smash in step 6 while the stew is cooking
- Rub the crumbled vegetable and chicken stock cubes or powder, crushed or grated ginger, garlic, pepper and tomato paste into the beef strips or chickpeas with the oil in a large saucepan. Leave to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Chop the onions and add to the beef strips with the oil. Stir to combine
- Brown the onions and beef strips or chickpeas over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside in a clean bowl or on a plate
- Wash cabbage in cold water, core and slice into strips. Rinse and dice the tomatoes
- Cook the cabbage in the saucepan over medium to high heat with a little bit of water, covered, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes until the cabbage has lightened in colour and softened. Add the tomatoes, season and stir to combine
- Add the water and peanut butter, if using. Bring to simmer on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, (depending on servings). Stir in the meat or chickpeas, then crushed peanuts and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes on low heat, uncovered so the liquid can reduce slightly
- Serve with cooked rice or sweet potato smash
Tips
- Traditionally this would be served with ugali or fufu, an African soft dough ball made from maize, corn or semolina flour, boiled and pounded starchy root vegetables like cassava or yams, or mashed plantains (green cooking bananas)
- African rice (Oryza glaberrima) is different to Asian rice (Oryza sativa) and has a rich and interesting history. It is hard to find this type of rice in Australia. Rice growing areas in Africa increasingly grow Asian varieties and a cross between the two. Asian rice has a higher yield but African rice is resilient
Acknowledgements: Thank you to Ester Bulea for sharing this tasty and nutritious dish. We would also like to sincerely thank the NSW African community leaders and cooks who provided advice and feedback on our earlier attempts, Daniel Apat at Western Sydney Local Health District for facilitating these consultations and Joanne Zheng and Angel Tsoi for recipe testing as student dietitians on their community placement at YouthBlock.