Le Baobab Ndambe

I love to try new and different foods, so when I was given a jar of the Le Baobab Ndambe for Christmas, I was really excited.  Le Baobab is a small Melbourne producer of West African food products, who originally made dishes to be served at festivals and events. They now have their own range of authentic sauces and ready to eat meals.

I don't really know much about West African cuisine, so set about researching this dish. Ndambe (nam bay) is a hearty stew made of black eyed beans and vegetables with a spicy tomato sauce. It can be served with rice or couscous, or on its own with a fried egg on top.

We opted to have ours with the egg on top, for something a little bit different and a little lighter. It was delicious. The chilli and spice were strong enough to be really tasty, but not too hot. Breaking the runny yolk of the egg into the mixture gave it a creamy richness, which was beautiful.

The Le Baobab Ndambe, and other products from the same company, can be bought at farmer's markets in Melbourne, or via the websites of Juanitas Kitchen, The Natural Spice Company or Farmhouse Direct. 

Using a pre made sauce made this a really easy dinner. The longest part was the soaking and cooking of the dry black eyed beans. Once the beans were cooked, the stew itself only took about 20 minutes to cook. Now that I've tried it, I'm going to search for a recipe for Ndambe and try to make it from scratch.

Ndambe

I jar Le Baobab Ndambe

1 1/2 cups dried black eyed beans

A drizzle of olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 potatoes, cut into large chunks

1 cup of button mushrooms, quartered

1/3 cup corn kernals

1/3 frozen peas, defrosted

Couscous, rice or a fried egg, to serve

Soak the beans in cold water for 30 minutes to soften. 

Drain and place in a saucepan covered with clean water. Bring to the boil and simmer approx 20 minutes, or until softened. Drain and rinse.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large saucepan and fry onion until softened and lightly golden. 

Add potato and mushrooms and stir to combine.

Add the jar of Ndambe sauce and a jar of water. Stir to combine, place a lid on the saucepan and simmer until the potato is cooked.

When the potato is ready, stir through the corn kernels, peas and reserved beans to heat through.

Serve with the cooked couscous or rice, or with a fried egg on top.

Enjoy!