A pungent, spicy Liberian stew of bitter greens and smoked meats slicked with palm oil.

Where does Torborgee come from?

Torborgee is a Liberian dish from Monrovia, Liberia.

Can Torborgee be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Torborgee recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Torborgee take to make?

About 85 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 6.

Torborgee — a Monrovia, Liberia recipe

Name: Torborgee
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Liberian
Ingredients: 1 lb + 6 oz smoked meat and smoked fish; 1.5 lb bitter greens (or collards + mustard greens), chopped; 1/3 cup red palm oil; 1 onion; 4 cloves garlic; 1-2 scotch bonnet; 1 tbsp fermented seasoning (or a splash of vinegar); to taste salt

Africa → 🇱🇷 Liberia → Monrovia

Torborgee

Liberian · medium · serves 6

prep 25 min · cook 60 min

~200 cal · 10g protein · 9g carbs · 14g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Dark greens and smoked meat stew in red palm oil

🇱🇷 Monrovia

Torborgee is a deeply flavored Liberian dish built on fermented seasonings, bitterballs, and greens simmered with smoked meat and fish in red palm oil. Sour, spicy, and rich, it is a bold plate of the Liberian coast, ladled over rice and beloved for its unapologetic depth of flavor.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 6 —

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1 lb + 6 oz smoked meat and smoked fish

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1.5 lb bitter greens (or collards + mustard greens), chopped

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1/3 cup red palm oil

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1 onion

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4 cloves garlic

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1-2 scotch bonnet

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1 tbsp fermented seasoning (or a splash of vinegar)

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to taste salt

Instructions

1

Simmer the smoked meat (or mushrooms) and fish (or tofu) in water to build a savory base.

2

Add the palm oil, onion, garlic, and scotch bonnet.

3

Stir in the greens and cook 30 minutes until soft and unified.

4

Add the fermented seasoning (or vinegar) for the signature tang and season with salt.

5

Serve over plenty of white rice.

Monrovia tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Monrovia. A coastal capital of rice and smoky torborgee.

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Liberia. An Atlantic-coast nation of rice and smoky pepper sauces.

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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 →