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Chadian

Boule with okra sauce

Non-vegetarian

Boule, sauce gombo

Chad's everyday staple: a stiff, smooth dome of millet porridge torn by hand and dipped into a slippery okra and beef sauce.

Boule with okra sauce is a Chadian main course, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with millet and okra. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Boule of millet porridge served with a bowl of dried okra sauce
Photo: Abdeldjelil Souleyman / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
617

Ingredients

4 servings

For the boule

For the sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Fry the onion (opens in a new tab) in the oil until soft, add the beef and garlic (opens in a new tab) and brown lightly. Add the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), chilli, 1 tsp salt and the sauce water; simmer covered until the beef is tender.

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

  2. Step 2

    Add the okra (opens in a new tab) and cook uncovered, stirring, until it softens and the sauce turns thick and stretchy.

    • 10 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    For the boule, whisk a third of the millet (opens in a new tab) flour into 400 ml cold water. Bring the remaining water and a pinch of salt to the boil, stir in the slurry and cook until it thickens like custard.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the remaining flour a handful at a time, beating hard with a sturdy wooden spoon against the side of the pan, until stiff and smooth. Cover and leave on low heat for 5 minutes.

    • 10 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Shape the boule in a wet bowl, turn out onto a plate and serve with the okra (opens in a new tab) sauce alongside.

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Chad · Commonly attributedStiff millet or sorghum porridges are eaten across the Sahel; 'boule' is the Chadian name.Also popular in Central African RepublicMore food from Chad
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Porridge & cereals
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered, Stewed
Taste
savoury, earthy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein · Low-fat · Low-sodium
With the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Millet · Okra · Beef chuck · Onion · Tomato · Garlic
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

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

617 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 803 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 54%
  • Fat 26%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy617 kcal77 kcal
Protein29.9 g3.7 g
Carbohydrate84.6 g10.5 g
Net carbohydrate72.3 g9 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre12.3 g1.5 g
Fat18.2 g2.3 g
Saturated fat2.9 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol48 mg6 mg
Sodium958 mg119 mg
Salt equivalent2.4 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
909 mg
Calcium
141 mg
Iron
5.4 mg
Magnesium
193 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
64 µg
Vitamin C
28 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
1.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
147 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.
  • “—” 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

  • Wet your bowl or a ladle before shaping so the boule turns out cleanly.

Common mistakes

  • Adding dry flour to boiling water all at once makes lumps — start with a slurry.

Serve with

  • Eat with the right hand: pinch off boule, make a dent and scoop the sauce.

Food safety

  • Simmer stewing beef, goat or lamb until fork-tender; cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Storage

  • The sauce keeps 3 days refrigerated; boule is best freshly made.

Variations

  • Sorghum boule: Use red sorghum flour for a darker, slightly sour boule.

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

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. 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

  • Millet, finely ground millet flour400 g
Used in steps 3, 4

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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