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Nyambeh nyebbeh (cassava and beans in palm oil)
Nyambeh nyebbeh: The Gambia's boiled cassava and black-eyed beans in a red palm-oil pepper sauce
Bright with red palm oil, nyambeh nyebbeh, cassava (nyambeh) and beans (nyebbeh), is a favourite Gambian lunch from Banjul compounds to roadside food stalls. Chunks of cassava and black-eyed beans are boiled until tender, then dressed with a hot sauce of red palm oil, onion and Scotch bonnet. Cassava gives starchy, slightly sweet bites, the beans turn creamy, and the palm oil adds its earthy, peppery depth. Dried fish is often crumbled in; this is the meat-free version. Chef's tip: always cook cassava fully and pull out the woody core string, since undercooked or raw cassava is unsafe to eat; it is ready when a knife slides through with no resistance.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the cassava and beans
- 10 ½ oz dried black-eyed beanssoaked for 4 hours, or 2 tins (480 g drained) cooked beans
- 1 ¾ lb fresh cassavapeeled, core removed, cut into 5 cm chunks; or frozen cassava
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the pepper sauce
- ¼ cup red palm oiluse a sustainably certified one
- 2 onionssliced
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 Scotch bonnet chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 ripe tomatochopped
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz dried black-eyed beans, cover with fresh water in a pan and boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer until tender but not falling apart. Add ¾ tsp salt near the end. Drain, keeping a cup of the cooking water. (Tinned beans just need warming.)
40 minStep 2: Meanwhile, cover 1 ¾ lb fresh cassava with cold water in another pan, add the rest of ¾ tsp salt, bring to the boil and simmer until a knife slides through easily and the chunks look slightly translucent.
25 minStep 3: Drain the cassava and pull out any fibrous core strings.
Step 4: Warm ¼ cup red palm oil gently in a wide pan over a medium-low heat; do not let it smoke. Add 2 onions and cook until soft.
6 minStep 5: Add 3 garlic cloves, 2 Scotch bonnet chillies, 1 ripe tomato and ½ tsp ground black pepper and cook until the tomato breaks down into a thick sauce.
5 minStep 6: Add the beans, cassava and a splash of the bean water and turn gently to coat everything in the red sauce. Heat through and serve hot.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 100 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nyambeh nyebbeh (cassava and beans in palm oil) take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 50 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.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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