Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Fumbwa
Wild forest greens simmered with groundnut paste, palm oil, and smoked fish into a deep, savory Congolese stew.
Congolese · medium · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 40 min
~407 cal · 25g protein · 16g carbs · 28g fat · 8g fiber · 4g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Fumbwa is one of the great dishes of the Congo, made from the wild forest leaf of the same name (known elsewhere as eru or okazi), gathered from the vines of the equatorial forest. Slightly bitter and sturdy, the leaves are simmered long and slow until they soften and drink up the flavors around them.
The classic treatment binds the greens with groundnut paste and red , then deepens them with smoked fish and onion until the pot turns rich, savory, and satisfying. Fumbwa is festive and everyday at once, served at gatherings and family lunches alike over rice, , or . It is a taste of the forest brought to the table, and a dish Congolese cooks on both banks of the river hold dear.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 lb fumbwa or other sturdy greens (kale, collards), chopped
1/2 lb smoked fish, flaked
1/2 cup groundnut (peanut) paste
3 tbsp red
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, chopped
Instructions
1
If using tough wild greens, boil them until tender first, then drain and chop.
2
Warm the palm oil and soften the onion and garlic, then add the tomato and cook until it breaks down.
3
Add the greens, smoked fish, and a cup of water and simmer to blend the flavors, about 15 minutes.
4
Stir the groundnut paste with a little water and add it to the pot, simmering until the sauce thickens and the oil rises.
✎ Chef’s note
Loosen the paste before adding it so it melts smoothly instead of clumping.
5
Season with salt and serve over rice, cassava fufu, or plantains.
Congolese home cooking.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Brazzaville. Cassava carries the meal in three separate forms. The root is milled into flour for fufu, fermented and steamed into chikwangue, and the leaves are pounded and cooked down separately with palm oil. Plantain and groundnut sauces fill out a plate that changes very little from house to house.
🗺️
Republic of the Congo. Saka-saka, pondu and mpondu are three names for the same cassava-leaf dish, pounded fine and simmered long with palm oil. Chikwangue is the other cassava form, fermented and steamed into a firm loaf that keeps and travels, which matters on a river where the market may be a day away.
🌍
Africa. Much of what reads as timeless African cooking is younger than the Atlantic crossings. Maize, cassava, groundnut, chilli and tomato all arrived from the Americas after 1500 and pushed older crops aside; millet, sorghum, teff, yam and fonio are the ones that were already here, and the map still shows the join.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Republic of the Congo
Liboke ya MbisiWhole fish seasoned and steamed in banana or marantacea leaves until fragrant and flaking.
Beignets CongolaisPuffy, faintly sweet fried dough balls sold hot on Brazzaville street corners and eaten with sweet coffee at daybreak.
Ngai NgaiA tart roselle-leaf stew (ngai ngai means "sour sour") cooked down with onion, tomato, and red palm oil and served with fried fish and fufu, a Congolese staple.
Browse all Republic of the Congo recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Blender.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Republic of the Congo meal
Tangawisi (Congolese Ginger Tonic)Drink
Makemba (Sweet Fried Plantain)Dessert
Poulet à la MoambeDinner
Similar dishes from around the world
MatapaMozambique
Antiguan Chop-UpAntigua and Barbuda
Mbika (Pumpkin Seed Stew)DR Congo
Potato Greens (Palava Sauce)Liberia
Aibika with Tinned FishPapua New Guinea
Feijoada à SantomenseSão Tomé and Príncipe
Cuisine
Diet
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Congolese Recipes
Dairy-Free Congolese Recipes
Gluten-Free Lunches from Around the World
Dairy-Free Lunches from Around the World
Egg-Free Lunches from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Fumbwa?
Wild forest greens simmered with groundnut paste, palm oil, and smoked fish into a deep, savory Congolese stew.
Where does Fumbwa come from?
Fumbwa is a Congolese dish from Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
Can Fumbwa be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Fumbwa recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Fumbwa safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Fumbwa take to make?
About 60 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.