061 Gabon – Nyembwe Chicken with Fufu

Nyembwe Chicken with Fufu

Nyembwe chicken is considered the National dish of Gabon.  In fact nyembwe means “palm oil” in the Bantu language. The palm oil comes from the fruit of the African palm.

Nyembwe Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken

2 cups of wood chips (apple, hickory, cedar, mesquite etc.)

1 can of beer

aluminum foil

For Nyembwe:

1 smoked chicken deboned

½ tin of palm butter (sauce graine)

red palm oil

2 onions chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using aluminum foil make a pouch using the wood chips, poke a few holes in the pouch

2. Place them in direct contact with your heat source ie just above the burners of your gas grill

3. Open the can of beer, either drink half of pour out half.

4. Salt and pepper the chicken and set on the beer can to stand up

5. put in a meat thermometer in the breast or thigh.

6. Put the heat on about medium and close the lid

7. Cover any openings in the top with aluminum foil to create a smoke house.

8. You will want to maintain a temperature of 300 degrees. It will take about 1½ hours to smoke the chicken, the internal temperature needs to reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. For the Nyembwe

10. Pour the palm butter in a skillet, add a glass of water and heat over medium.

11. Skim oil which forms at the surface after a few minutes.

12. Continue to cook over medium

13. In another pan, heat the red palm oil and add the onions, saute for about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and shredded chicken. Saute for a few minutes

14. Add chicken and onions to the warm palm butter, stir until combined and let cook together for a few minutes.

15. Serve warm with some fufu and fried plantains.

Fufu

Ingredients

4 yucca (cassava) roots, peeled and sliced

5 yellow plantains

1/2 cup butter

Directions

Place the cassava and plantains (with peels on) into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until cassava is so, about 30 minutes; drain. Remove and discard peels from plantains, and return them to the pot. Mash with butter, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Use as much butter as needed to get the mixture moist enough to blend.

Original recipes found here:

http://www.internationalcuisine.com/gabon-nyembwe-chicken/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/60516/fufu/