~937 cal · 80g protein · 83g carbs · 31g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Chicken stew with a mound of stiff maize porridge
🇱🇸 Maseru
In the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, a robust chicken stew in tomato and onion, served with a firm mound of papa (maize meal porridge), is the meal that warms cold Maloti evenings. Papa is scooped by hand and dipped into the rich gravy — plain, filling, and central to Basotho home cooking.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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2.5 lb bone-in chicken pieces
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2.5 cups white maize meal (for papa)
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3 tomatoes
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2 onion
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3 cloves garlic
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1 tbsp curry powder
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1 tsp paprika
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3 tbsp oil
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to taste salt
Instructions
1
Brown the chicken (or mushrooms and chickpeas) with onion and garlic.
2
Add the tomatoes and spices and simmer to a thick stew.
3
For papa, boil salted water and whisk in half the maize, then add the rest and stir stiff.
4
Cook the papa on low, covered, until firm.
5
Serve mounds of papa with the chicken stew.
Maseru home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Maseru. A mountain-kingdom capital of papa and stew.
🗺️
Lesotho. A mountain kingdom of papa and slow-cooked stews.
🌍
Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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