Moambe

Moambe is a chicken stew simmered in a red sauce made from palm nut, and it is considered one of the national dishes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is also made in Angola, where a related chicken dish under the name muamba is cooked in palm-based sauce. Recipes differ from household to household, so two plates of moambe can taste quite different.

What it really is

Chicken, usually in pieces with the bone left in, is simmered slowly with onion, garlic and chilli in a sauce built on palm nut, the pulp of the oil palm fruit. The palm element gives the stew its deep red-orange colour and a rich, savoury flavour. The sauce thickens as it cooks, so the chicken is coated rather than floating in liquid. Chilli sets the heat, and the amount used is a matter of household taste rather than a fixed measure.

How it's served

• Hot, with the chicken pieces coated in the red sauce.
• Beside a starch such as white rice, fufu or cassava bread, which is used to soak up the sauce.
• Eaten with the hands or a spoon, often from one shared pot.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the protein: chicken, and say whether it comes as bone-in pieces or boneless.
• Write "palm nut sauce" so guests know it is not a peanut or tomato sauce.
• The classic dish has no standard declarable allergen, but list the starch served with it, since wheat-based bread or flour carries its own allergens.
• State the heat level, such as mild, medium or hot, because chilli varies from kitchen to kitchen.
• List the starch as a separate item if it is sold on its own.