A rich Togolese spinach stew simmered with tomato, red palm oil, and beef or fish.

Where does Gboma Dessi come from?

Gboma Dessi is a Togolese dish from Lomé, Togo.

Can Gboma Dessi be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Gboma Dessi 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 Gboma Dessi take to make?

About 75 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 55 minutes cooking), serving 6.

Gboma Dessi — a Lomé, Togo recipe

Name: Gboma Dessi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Togolese
Ingredients: 1.5 lb spinach or amaranth greens, chopped; 1 lb + 4 oz beef and smoked fish; 3 tomatoes; 1 onion; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1/4 cup red palm oil; 4 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp ginger; 1 scotch bonnet

Africa → 🇹🇬 Togo → Lomé

Gboma Dessi

Togolese · easy · serves 6

prep 20 min · cook 55 min

~187 cal · 10g protein · 12g carbs · 12g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Dark spinach stew with beef in red palm oil over rice

🇹🇬 Lomé

Gboma dessi means "spinach sauce" in Ewe, and it is one of Togo's best-loved everyday stews. Around Lomé the greens are cooked down with tomato and a generous pour of red palm oil until dark and silky, studded with beef and smoked fish, then spooned over rice or pounded yam.

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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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1.5 lb spinach or amaranth greens, chopped

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1 lb + 4 oz beef and smoked fish

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3 tomatoes

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1 onion

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2 tbsp tomato paste

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1/4 cup red palm oil

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4 cloves garlic

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1 tbsp ginger

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1 scotch bonnet

Instructions

1

Brown the beef (or mushrooms) with the onion, then add the smoked fish (or smoked tofu) and a little water.

2

Stir in the blended tomato, garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet, and tomato paste and simmer 20 minutes.

3

Add the red palm oil and let it cook into the sauce until it darkens and gleams.

4

Fold in the greens and cook 15 minutes until collapsed and silky.

5

Season and serve over rice, fufu, or pounded yam.

Lomé home cooking.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

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Lomé. A beachfront capital that loves its gboma spinach stew.

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Togo. A slim West African strip that loves its spinach 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 →