Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mwambe Beef

Still rather rattled from my Comoronian cooking experience, I was glad to see that the Democratic Republic of the Congo's national dish, mwambe beef, was simple and straightforward. The dish has simple ingredients: lemon juice, salt, beef, onions, tomatoes and habanero. The only difficult thing to find is the palm oil, which I procured at Christy's African Market in Burnsville. I was surprised to find that it is of a Crisco-like consistency, as I was picturing oil. However, as soon as it hits a heated pan, it melts immediately and turns to oil. The flavor of this red orange oil permeated the meat and gave it a subtle paprika-like flavor. I think it made all the difference in distinguishing this dish from other African dishes I have made, and also in distinguishing it from a simple beef in tomato sauce recipe. I enjoyed this dish, although if I made it again, I would either not seed the habanero or use more than one, as I thought it lacked some heat.

I found this recipe online. It is apparently from an old African cookbook.

Mwambe Beef

INGREDIENTS:

-3 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes

-1 T. lemon juice

-1/2 tsp. salt

-2 T. palm oil

-1 medium onion, chopped

-4 tomatoes, chopped

-1-4 habanero peppers

DIRECTIONS:

1) Toss beef cubes with lemon and salt. Let rest 30 minutes. Discard juice.

2) Heat oil on medium high until very hot. Add beef and brown.

3) Add onions; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in the tomatoes and pepper(s).

4) Let simmer 1 1/2 hours.

5) Serve over rice.