Gluten-Free Congolese Recipes
Every dish here is Congolese cooking that is naturally gluten-free, no swaps required, each tied to a real region and its culinary story. Prefer to wander wider? Toggle gluten-free on any recipe on the site and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional swaps.
11 recipes
Pondu (Saka Saka)Kinshasa, DR Congo · easy · 1 h 20 minCassava leaves pounded and simmered with palm oil, eggplant, and smoked richness, the Congo’s daily green.
Pondu (Saka Saka) Liboke ya MbisiBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo · medium · 1 h 5 minWhole fish seasoned and steamed in banana or marantacea leaves until fragrant and flaking.
Liboke ya Mbisi FumbwaBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo · medium · 1 hWild forest greens simmered with groundnut paste, palm oil, and smoked fish into a deep, savory Congolese stew.
Ndizi wa Nazi (Plantains in Coconut Milk)Kinshasa, DR Congo · easy · 30 minRipe plantains simmered gently in spiced coconut milk until soft and creamy, a sweet from the DR Congo table.
Makemba (Sweet Fried Plantain)Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo · easy · 20 minVery ripe plantains fried until caramelised and dusted with cinnamon sugar, a simple Congolese sweet.
Poulet à la MoambeBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo · medium · 1 h 20 minChicken braised low in a glossy, rust-red palm-nut sauce until tender and richly savoury, the national dish of the Congo, served with rice, plantains or fufu.
Makayabu (Salted Fish in Tomato Sauce)Kinshasa, DR Congo · easy · 9 hSalt cod soaked back to life and braised with onion, tomato and pepper, a pantry staple across the DR Congo table.
Mbika (Pumpkin Seed Stew)Kinshasa, DR Congo · easy · 50 minGround pumpkin seeds simmered into a thick, nutty-tasting stew with smoked fish, greens and red palm oil, a Congo Basin staple.
Chikwangue (Kwanga, Congolese Fermented Cassava Loaf)Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo · advanced · 3.5 daysCassava soaked for days until it ferments, pressed, ground and part-cooked, then kneaded, rolled into batons, wrapped in leaves and boiled into firm, springy, tangy loaves.
Lituma (Congolese Mashed Plantain)Kinshasa, DR Congo · easy · 35 minGreen and just-ripe plantains boiled until soft, then pounded into a smooth, heavy, dough-like mash and shaped to eat with pondu, fish or any Congolese stew.
Safou (Congolese Warm Salted African Plums)Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo · easy · 25 minPurple safou, the African plum, warmed briefly in salted water until the green flesh turns soft and buttery, eaten with roasted maize as a seasonal snack.
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