DR Congo

Welcome to DR Congo!  Not to be confused with the Republic of Congo...I had to double check to make sure there were two separate countries - and there are!  According to Google, the population is 84.07 million people, and the capital is Kinshasa.  Apparently the country is not as stable as the Republic of Congo, so maybe not a good place to visit.  However, apparently if you want to see gorillas, this is the place to go! 

So what is the national food, you ask?  

       

Mwambe! 

It honestly looked like another peanut butter chicken recipe that I have, with a few changes.  I needed something to go with it, so I found a recipe for Congolese Spinach.  Truthfully, I don't know if it was traditional DR Congo recipe or a Republic of Congo recipe, but it looked good and we're going with it.  Here's what I did:

POULET MWAMBE

2 lb Chicken Thighs

6 Tbsp Peanut Oil, divided

1 Large Onion, chopped

14 oz Tomato Puree

6 oz Tomato Paste

4 Large Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 Tbsp Ginger, grated

1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 C Water

Salt to taste 

1/2 C Natural Peanut Butter

 

1. Heat 4 Tbsp. peanut oil in a large pot over high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides.  Remove the chicken and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil and turn down the temperature to medium-low.
3. Add the onions and saute until golden.
4. Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, garlic, green onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt and water and mix well.
5. Return chicken to the pot and mix again. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for around 20 minutes.
6. Remove 1 cup of sauce from the pot and mix with the peanut butter. Return mixture to pot and mix well.
7. Cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken is done.
    
   

 (Source: https://www.internationalcuisine.com/congo-moambe-chicken/)

 

CONGOLESE SPINACH 

2 Tbsp Avocado Oil

1 Medium Onion, sliced

2 Red Peppers, sliced

2 Serrano Chilies, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

14 oz Crushed Tomatoes

4 C Fresh Spinach

Salt to taste

1. Pan-fry the onion in the oil over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. 
2. Add the red pepper and cook 3 more minutes to soften.
3. Stir in the green chilies and garlic. Cook 1 minute then add the chopped tomatoes and spinach.
4.  Continue cooking to wilt spinach and thicken sauce. 
5. Season with salt and serve.

 (Source: https://naptimeprepcook.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/republic-of-the-congo-%F0%9F%87%A8%F0%9F%87%AC-congolese-spinach/)

The verdict?  It was tasty!  We really enjoyed it.  It the tomatoes helped make the sauce more a peanut butter flavored sauce, rather than a "peanut butter sauce".  The spinach was yummy as well.  We both liked the crunch of the onions, and peppers mixed with the spinach was a good combination.  I was afraid that the Serrano peppers would be too hot, but couldn't really tell they were in there.  I did seed them, so perhaps that took the majority of the heat out.  The two dishes were similar in that they both had a tomato base, but different enough to complement each other well.  

So the rating.  We are both going to rate the dishes on a scale of 1-10.

ME

Taste of Poulet Mwambe (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 2

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5 

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Poulet Mwambe (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable):3

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):7

 

ME

Taste of Congolese Spinach (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Congolese Spinach (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5 

 

And there  you have it!  Another country down.  Our next stop will be Latvia, with a special guest cook and taster.  My Nifty Niece is learning about Latvia, and thought it would be fun to learn more about the cuisine as well.  Stay tuned!