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Togolese · West African

Gboma dessi

Non-vegetarian

A thick Togolese stew of greens cooked in palm oil with tomato, onion, ginger, smoked fish and beef. Served with akoumé (corn dough), fufu or rice.

Gboma dessi is a Togolese stew, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with spinach, red palm oil and mackerel. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
490

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the beef in salted water until tender, about 45 minutes; drain, keeping 150 ml of the stock.

  2. Step 2

    Blanch the spinach (opens in a new tab) in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and squeeze dry.

    • 4 min
    • high heat

  3. Step 3

    Heat the palm oil (opens in a new tab) and fry the onion (opens in a new tab) until soft. Add ginger, garlic (opens in a new tab), chilli, blended tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and fry until thick and the oil rises, 15 minutes.

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

  4. Step 4

    Add the beef, reserved stock, smoked fish and salt and simmer 5 minutes, then stir in the spinach (opens in a new tab) and cook 3 minutes more.

    • 8 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Togo · Commonly attributedGboma (African eggplant leaves) stews are also common in Benin and Ghana; this is the Togolese Ewe style.Also popular in Benin, GhanaMore food from Togo
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Stewed, Simmered
Taste
savoury, smoky, earthy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Low-sodium · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Spinach · Red palm oil · Mackerel · Beef chuck · Onion · Tomato
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Blanching · Stewing

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom mackerel

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

490 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 786 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 15%
  • Fat 54%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy490 kcal62 kcal
Protein38.4 g4.9 g
Carbohydrate19.6 g2.5 g
Net carbohydrate12.9 g1.6 g
Sugars7.4 g0.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.7 g0.9 g
Fat30.7 g3.9 g
Saturated fat12.6 g1.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol99 mg13 mg
Sodium865 mg110 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1980 mg
Calcium
251 mg
Iron
8.5 mg
Magnesium
227 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
905 µg
Vitamin C
75 mg
Vitamin D
8.2 µg
Vitamin B12
6.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
373 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

  • Squeeze the blanched greens very dry so the stew stays thick rather than watery.

Serve with

  • Serve with akoumé (stiff corn dough), fufu, ablo or rice.

Food safety

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

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water.

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, 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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