30 •
The Lion King
• July - September 2017
Country Focus
Photo Credit: Yohan
Photo Credit: Yohan
Nyembwe
Nyembwe is considered as the nation-
al Gabonese dish. Nyembwe means
“Oil of Palme” in O’myene language
(Gabonese language). Nyembwe is
usually prepared with palm nut sauce
(Nyembwe), Smoked chicken or other
proteins, bay leaves, Gabonese pep-
pers, seasoning cube, onions, garlic
and salt.
Preparation
:
Heat niemboué in a pot. Add the
onions and the meat, cut into small
dice. Stir with a wooden spoon, then
leave to cook a little. Then add the
seasoning cube, bay leaf and a lit-
tle salt. When the niemboué begins
to thicken, add the smoked chicken
pieces. Add water and cook for a
short while. At the end of cooking,
add the peppers. Make sure to NEVER
slice them in the sauce otherwise it will
be inedible! On the other hand, the
whole chilies pleasantly release the
taste of the niemboue.
Odika
Odika is an acacia fruit sauce. It is a
popular recipe in Gabon prepared by
cooking Odika with smoked or other
chicken, finely chopped onion and
garlic, seasoning, pepper and peanut
oil. The cooked sauce is usually eaten
with banana or cassava.
Preparation
:
Finely chop onions and garlic and
return to a pot with oil. Pour the Odika
into the pot and cook, stirring for 2 to 3
minutes. Add water (3 to 4 glasses are
sufficient). Add the cube and salt as
well as the smoked chicken. Turn and
close to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes
with the peppers washed. Once the
sauce is consistent, adjust your sea-
soning if necessary. Serve with banana
or cassava.
