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Liberian · West African

Palm butter

Non-vegetarian

A thick, rich, orange-red stew made from palm nut cream simmered with chicken, beef and smoked fish and plenty of hot pepper. Liberia's Sunday-best dish, served over rice.

Palm butter is a Liberian stew, ready in about 1 hour 30 minutes and made with palm nut cream (palm butter) and chicken pieces, skin-on. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 30 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
689

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Season the chicken (and beef, if using) with half the onion (opens in a new tab), the black pepper (opens in a new tab) and 1 tsp salt. Put in a pot with 200 ml water, cover and steam over medium heat for 15 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk the palm nut cream (opens in a new tab) with the remaining water and add it to the pot with the remaining onion (opens in a new tab) and the chilli.

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

  3. Step 3

    Simmer uncovered, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens to a buttery consistency with red oil on the surface and the meat is tender, about 50 minutes.

    • 50 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C at the bone.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the smoked fish and remaining salt and cook 5 minutes more. Serve over rice.

    • 5 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Liberia · Commonly attributedPalm nut soups and sauces are made across West and Central Africa (abenkwan in Ghana, banga in Nigeria, sauce graine in Côte d'Ivoire); 'palm butter' is the Liberian name and style.Also popular in Sierra LeoneMore food from Liberia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Stewed
Taste
rich, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), creamy
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Freezer-friendly · One-pot
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Onion · Fresh red chilli · Mackerel
Techniques
Simmering · Steaming · 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

689 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 518 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 6%
  • Fat 72%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy689 kcal133 kcal
Protein38.8 g7.5 g
Carbohydrate9.8 g1.9 g
Net carbohydrate7.2 g1.4 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.6 g0.5 g
Fat56.1 g10.8 g
Saturated fat32.5 g6.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol141 mg27 mg
Sodium847 mg163 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
732 mg
Calcium
62 mg
Iron
3.9 mg
Magnesium
87 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
82 µg
Vitamin C
12 mg
Vitamin D
5.2 µg
Vitamin B12
3.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
37 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: beef chuck, long-grain white rice.
  • Palm nut cream (palm butter): Raw coconut cream (FDC 170580) used as a stand-in; canned palm-fruit concentrate is a similarly fat-rich fruit cream, though its fat profile and carotenoids differ.
  • “—” 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

  • If using fresh palm nuts, boil, pound and squeeze them with warm water to make the cream instead of the can.

Common mistakes

  • Letting it boil hard — palm butter catches easily and should simmer gently.

Serve with

  • Serve over white rice or with fufu.

Storage

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

Reheating

  • Reheat slowly, stirring, 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, 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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