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Angolan

Calulu

Non-vegetarian

Layers of dried fish and fresh fish slowly stewed with okra, aubergine, tomato, onion and greens in red palm oil — a celebrated Angolan Sunday dish.

Calulu is an Angolan stew, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with smoked fish, white fish fillet and red palm oil. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Calulu, fish stewed with greens and vegetables in a palm-oil sauce
Photo: elingunnur / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-3.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
313

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the dried fish (opens in a new tab) in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain, remove skin and bones and break into large flakes.

    • 10 min

  2. Step 2

    Pour half the palm oil (opens in a new tab) into a wide pot. Layer the onion (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), aubergine (opens in a new tab), sweet potato (opens in a new tab) and okra (opens in a new tab), then the dried fish (opens in a new tab) and fresh fish, then the greens and chilli. Drizzle over the remaining oil and add the water.

  3. Step 3

    Cover and cook over low heat without stirring, shaking the pot now and then, until the vegetables are soft and the fish flakes.

    • 40 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Fresh fish is done when opaque and flaking.

  4. Step 4

    Taste and add salt only if needed. Serve with funge.

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

About this dish

Origin
Angola · Commonly attributedA related calulu is a national dish of São Tomé and Príncipe.More food from Angola
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Stewed, Simmered
Taste
savoury, salty, rich, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Smoked fish · White fish fillet · Red palm oil · Onion · Tomato · Garlic
Techniques
Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom smoked fish, white fish fillet

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

313 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 456 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 19%
  • Fat 51%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy313 kcal69 kcal
Protein24 g5.3 g
Carbohydrate15.5 g3.4 g
Net carbohydrate9.8 g2.1 g
Sugars6.7 g1.5 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.7 g1.3 g
Fat18 g3.9 g
Saturated fat6.9 g1.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol58 mg13 mg
Sodium706 mg155 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1056 mg
Calcium
120 mg
Iron
2 mg
Magnesium
98 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
330 µg
Vitamin C
35 mg
Vitamin D
6 µg
Vitamin B12
3.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
134 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: sweet potato.
  • Smoked fish: Smoked cisco (FDC 171954) used as a stand-in for hot-smoked African fish such as catfish, mackerel or bonga.
  • “—” 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

  • Angolan cooks often use a mix of dried fish (peixe seco) and fresh fish; the dried fish gives the stew its depth.

Common mistakes

  • Stirring once the stew is layered — it breaks up the fish; shake the pot instead.

Serve with

  • Serve with funge, boiled sweet potato or rice, and beans in palm oil (feijão de óleo de palma).

Food safety

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

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently, covered.

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

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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