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Madesu (Slow-Cooked White Bean and Red Palm Oil Stew)

Name: Madesu (Slow-Cooked White Bean and Red Palm Oil Stew)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Central African Republic
Ingredients: 400 g dry white navy beans (or haricot beans), soaked in cold water for 8 hours and drained; 250 g smoked beef shank or smoked cow skin (pelle/kanda), cut into bite-sized pieces; 80 ml unrefined red palm oil; 200 g yellow onions, finely diced; 20 g garlic, finely chopped (approx. 4 cloves); 150 g fresh ripe plum tomatoes, finely crushed or grated; 30 g double-concentrated tomato paste; 2 pieces dried bay leaves; 1 pieces whole scotch bonnet chili; 1500 ml water, divided; 6 g fine sea salt (or to taste); 3 g ground African nutmeg (pebe / calabash nutmeg) or coarse black pepper

Hearty white beans slow-cooked into a creamy, red-hued stew enriched with vibrant palm oil, sweet fried onions, and smoked marrow bone.

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central-africanwhite-beanspalm-oil-stewslow-cooked

The story

Sustaining working-class laborers and civil servants alike across the bustling markets of Bangui and Ouaka province, Madesu is the quintessential weekend batch-cook. Influenced by cross-river trade throughout the Congo Basin, this hearty legume dish is eaten piping hot over steaming white rice or fried plantains. The culinary mastery behind a great Madesu lies in crushing a portion of the fully softened beans against the pot wall, which naturally emulsifies the red palm oil into a rich, velvety gravy without added flour.

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