Palm nuts, the fruit of the African oil palm, are available only in the tropics. Moambé (or Mwambe) or Nyembwe Sauce (also called Palm Butter) is made by boiling the palm nut fruits and discarding the skin and nut kernels; the remaining oily reddish pulp is the moambé or nyembwe sauce (or palm butter, as it is known in English). Straining out the pulp leaves Africa’s famous red palm oil. Western Africa has many Palm Butter Soup recipes. As fresh palm nuts are not available outside the tropics, canned palm soup base, also called sauce graine or noix de palme may be substituted for homemade.

Moambé Sauce and Nyembwe Sauce Recipe

Moambé or Nyembwe Sauce is made by boiling the palm nuts fruits and discarding the skin and nut kernels.

Prep Time10 minsCook Time20 minsTotal Time30 minsYields1 Serving

Ingredients

 100 fresh, ripe, palm nut fruits (Elaeis guineensis)

Instructions

1

Bring several cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Place the palm nuts in the boiling water (they do not need to be covered by the water). Cover and cook the palm nuts for a few minutes, until the skins begin to come off.

2

Drain the water from the pan. Use a potato masher (or a mortar and pestle) to crush the palm nuts into a pulp.

3

Combine the palm nut pulp with one to two quarts (approximately one to two liters) of cold water. Stir. Squeeze the palm nuts with your hands to remove all the fruit and oil from the palm nuts.

4

Press the pulp through a strainer into the saucepan (rinse it first). Discard the nut skins and kernels that remain in the strainer. You might want to strain it twice, to remove all the nut kernels and bits of skin, and to make sure all the oil and fruit end up in the saucepan. Heat the pulp to a low boil, stir often, and cook until the sauce is thickened, maybe an hour.

Ingredients

 100 fresh, ripe, palm nut fruits (Elaeis guineensis)

Directions

1

Bring several cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Place the palm nuts in the boiling water (they do not need to be covered by the water). Cover and cook the palm nuts for a few minutes, until the skins begin to come off.

2

Drain the water from the pan. Use a potato masher (or a mortar and pestle) to crush the palm nuts into a pulp.

3

Combine the palm nut pulp with one to two quarts (approximately one to two liters) of cold water. Stir. Squeeze the palm nuts with your hands to remove all the fruit and oil from the palm nuts.

4

Press the pulp through a strainer into the saucepan (rinse it first). Discard the nut skins and kernels that remain in the strainer. You might want to strain it twice, to remove all the nut kernels and bits of skin, and to make sure all the oil and fruit end up in the saucepan. Heat the pulp to a low boil, stir often, and cook until the sauce is thickened, maybe an hour.

Moambé Sauce and Nyembwe Sauce
IngredientsDirections

Once the sauce is heated, chicken or meat, and other ingredients can be added and cooked in the thickening sauce to make Poulet Moambé or Poulet Nyembwe or Moambé Stew.