~872 cal · 79g protein · 68g carbs · 30g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Tomato chicken stew beside crumbly maize porridge
🇸🇿 Mbabane
In Eswatini, a slow tomato-onion chicken stew ladled over phutu — a dry, crumbly maize porridge — is the comfort of the everyday table. The phutu is cooked until it forms loose, fluffy grains that soak up the rich gravy, a pairing found in homes across the kingdom's hills and valleys.
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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 cups white maize meal (for phutu)
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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 the onion and garlic.
2
Add the tomatoes, curry powder, and paprika and simmer to a thick gravy.
3
For the phutu, bring salted water to a boil and stir in the maize meal, then steam on low, fluffing with a fork, until dry and crumbly.
4
Season the stew to taste.
5
Serve the crumbly phutu with the chicken stew spooned alongside.
Mbabane home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Mbabane. A highland capital of maize porridge and stews.
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Eswatini. A southern African kingdom of maize porridge and stews.
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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 →
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