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Burkinabè · West African

Babenda

Non-vegetarian

A thick, comforting Mossi stew of chopped bitter and sour greens cooked with broken rice and soumbala, often with smoked fish. Humble, nourishing everyday food from Burkina Faso.

Babenda is a Burkinabè stew from Burkina Faso, ready in about 55 minutes and made with spinach, long-grain white rice and fermented locust beans. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Dish of babenda, cooked leafy greens with grain, in a dark pot
Photo: Masséni Héma / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
297

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil and fry the onion (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab) and soumbala (opens in a new tab) for 4 minutes until fragrant.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the water, chilli, salt and crushed rice and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the kale (opens in a new tab) and spinach (opens in a new tab) with the lime juice (opens in a new tab) and smoked fish and cook, stirring, until the rice is soft and the stew is thick, 15–20 minutes. Stir in peanut butter (opens in a new tab) at the end if you like.

    • 18 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Burkina Faso · Commonly attributedA dish of the Mossi people of central Burkina Faso.More food from Burkina Faso
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses · Porridge & cereals
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
earthy, umami, sour, bitter
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · One-pot · Everyday
Cook more with
Spinach · Long-grain white rice · Fermented locust beans · Kale · Lime juice · Onion
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom mackerel
  • Contains, can be adapted: Peanutsfrom peanut butter

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

297 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 496 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 53%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy297 kcal60 kcal
Protein8.6 g1.7 g
Carbohydrate41 g8.3 g
Net carbohydrate35.1 g7.1 g
Sugars3.4 g0.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.9 g1.2 g
Fat12.3 g2.5 g
Saturated fat1.1 g0.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium698 mg141 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
938 mg
Calcium
281 mg
Iron
5.7 mg
Magnesium
122 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
603 µg
Vitamin C
86 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
381 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: mackerel, peanut butter.
  • Fermented locust beans: Natto (fermented soybeans, FDC 172443) used as a stand-in for fermented African locust beans (iru / dawadawa / soumbala); both are alkaline-fermented, protein- and fat-rich legume seeds. Contains no soy itself.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Without the fish this is fully plant-based — soumbala provides the savoury depth.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the leaves too early — they turn grey and mushy; add them once the rice has softened.

Serve with

  • Serve on its own in bowls.

Food safety

  • Smoked and dried fish should smell clean and smoky, never sour; keep opened packs refrigerated.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Thin with water and reheat gently.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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