Vegan
Gluten freeBabenda
Leafy greens and rice pot
Babenda: Burkina Faso's thick pot of leafy greens, broken rice, soumbala and groundnuts
Mossi home cooks on the plateau around Ouagadougou make babenda from whatever leaves the season offers, chopping them and cooking them down with broken rice or millet until soft and porridge-like, then enriching the pot with roasted groundnuts and a spoonful of soumbala. That fermented néré seed paste is the soul of Burkina Faso's kitchens, adding a deep, savoury, slightly funky note, much as a stock would. Sour bissap leaves keep it lively and the peanuts make it creamy and filling. Dried fish often goes in; this version is meat-free and eaten warm from the bowl. Chef's tip: fry the soumbala briefly in hot oil with the onion; it mellows the strong smell and spreads the flavour through the pot.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 420 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb mixed leafy greenssorrel (bissap), amaranth or cowpea leaves; or spinach and kale with a handful of sorrel
- 3 cups water
- 5 ½ oz broken riceor cracked millet
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp soumbala (fermented néré seeds)or 1 tbsp fermented black beans, mashed
- 3 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 3 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanutscoarsely ground
- 1 Scotch bonnet chillifinely chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Wash the 1 ¾ lb mixed leafy greens well and chop roughly. Boil them in the 3 cups water for 15 minutes until soft and darker; do not drain.
15 minStep 2: Add the 5 ½ oz broken rice and 1 tsp salt and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is soft and starting to break down.
18 minStep 3: Mash the 1 tbsp soumbala (fermented néré seeds) with a spoonful of water. Heat the 3 tbsp groundnut oil in a small pan over a medium heat, fry the 1 onion for 5 minutes until golden, then add the soumbala for 1 minute.
6 minStep 4: Stir the onion mixture, 3 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts and 1 Scotch bonnet chilli into the pot and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often so it does not catch, until thick like a loose risotto and the peanuts no longer feel gritty. Too much water is the usual mistake; if it looks soupy, cook uncovered a little longer.
10 minStep 5: Taste for salt and serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does babenda take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of broken rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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