Boiling • Simmering and Stewing • beef bouillon cube • black pepper • chile pepper • fish • fish (dried or salted or smoked) • garlic • Maggi® sauce or Maggi® cube • onion • palm nuts • palm soup base (canned "sauce graine" or "noix de palme") • prawns or shrimp (dried prawns or dried shrimp) • salt • Cameroon
Mbanga (Palm Nut) Soup
Made from the fruit of the African oil palm, Mbanga soup is Cameroon’s version of West Africa’s palm nut (or palm butter) soup. In Africa, use fresh palm nuts; out of Africa, use canned palm nut pulp.
This soup can also be made with greens. Greens that need long cooking time (e.g., cassava leaves, kale) should be added at the beginning; spinach can be added at the end. See Greens in Africa.
If using fresh palm nuts, process them as described on the Moambé Sauce / Nyembwe Sauce recipe page.
Mbanga (Palm Nut) Soup Recipe
Cameroon's version of West Africa's palm nut (or palm butter) soup.
Ingredients
fresh palm nuts, or canned palm nut pulp (also called palm soup base sauce graine, noix de palme, or cream of palm fruit)
1 lb fresh fish, cleaned and cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 beef bouillon cube or Maggi® cube
1 chile pepper, cleaned and chopped (optional)
smoked or dried fish (stockfish or similar), skin and bones removed, soaked and rinsed with water
2 tbsp dried prawns or dried shrimp, ground into powder
Instructions
1
In a large pot, bring four cups of water to a boil. Add fresh fish, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, bouillon cube or Maggi® cube, and chile pepper (of desired). Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2
Add (canned or fresh) palm nut pulp and continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
3
Add smoked or dried fish and dried prawns or shrimp. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until soup is thickened to your liking. Adjust seasoning.
Ingredients
fresh palm nuts, or canned palm nut pulp (also called palm soup base sauce graine, noix de palme, or cream of palm fruit)
1 lb fresh fish, cleaned and cut into pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 beef bouillon cube or Maggi® cube
1 chile pepper, cleaned and chopped (optional)
smoked or dried fish (stockfish or similar), skin and bones removed, soaked and rinsed with water
2 tbsp dried prawns or dried shrimp, ground into powder
Directions
1
In a large pot, bring four cups of water to a boil. Add fresh fish, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, bouillon cube or Maggi® cube, and chile pepper (of desired). Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2
Add (canned or fresh) palm nut pulp and continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
3
Add smoked or dried fish and dried prawns or shrimp. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until soup is thickened to your liking. Adjust seasoning.