Liboke de Poisson

Liboke de poisson is fish seasoned with tomato, onion and chilli, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed in a sealed parcel. Liboke is the name of the Congolese method of cooking food in a leaf parcel, and fish is one of its fillings in the Republic of the Congo, where the dish is made. The same wrapping is also used with chicken. The leaf keeps the fish moist and lets its juices mix with the tomato and onion, so the sauce that forms inside the parcel is eaten with the fish.

What it really is

Pieces of fish are laid on a square of banana leaf, softened over heat so that it folds without tearing. Sliced onion, tomato, chilli and garlic are spread over the fish, and the leaf is folded into a sealed parcel. The parcel is steamed until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables have softened into a sauce. The leaf is a wrapper and is not eaten, but it gives the fish a faint, grassy aroma. The fish is the main ingredient, and the seasoning is the liquid it is cooked in.

How it's served

• Hot, opened at the table so that the steam and smell reach the guest first.
• As a main course, with a starch such as rice or chikwangue, a cassava bread, to take up the sauce.
• Eaten straight from the leaf, with the sauce spooned over the fish and starch.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the fish and the cut, whole, steak or fillet, since the species changes the flavour and the price.
• Flag fish as an allergen. Ask whether a stock cube is added to the sauce, since stock cubes can carry allergens of their own.
• Say that it is wrapped in banana leaf, steamed, and opened at the table.
• State the heat of the chilli, or offer it as a separate sauce, since the spice level varies from kitchen to kitchen.
• Name the starch served with it, so guests know what comes on the plate.