Central Africa · Main

Mbappé (Crushed Egusi and Fish Bundle)

Name: Mbappé (Crushed Egusi and Fish Bundle)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Cameroon
Ingredients: 400 g shelled egusi (melon seeds); 300 g smoked freshwater catfish or barracuda (cleaned, bones removed, flaked); 150 g fresh white fish fillets (cod or sea bass, cut into bite-sized chunks); 50 g dried whole crayfish (ground into fine powder); 150 ml unrefined red palm oil; 1 medium red onion (finely grated); 3 cloves garlic (finely grated); 10 g fresh ginger (peeled and grated); 2 whole habanero or Scotch bonnet chillies (finely minced); 1 g ground country onions (olum/Afrostyrax lepidotheca powder); 250 ml warm fish stock or water; sea salt, to taste; 8 large fresh banana leaves (wilted over flame and cleaned)

Steamed banana-leaf bundles of rich egusi paste infused with smoked fish, crayfish, and peppery coastal aromatics.

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sawa-cuisinesteamed-packetcoastal-cameroonceremonial

The story

Hailing from the Littoral Region of Cameroon, Mbappé is a prized ceremonial dish among the coastal Sawa and Duala peoples. It is traditionally presented at lavish wedding banquets and chieftaincy coronations as a symbol of prosperity and hospitality. Technically, the egusi seeds must be pulverized dry without extracting their natural oils prematurely, allowing the paste to swell uniformly and set into a firm, custard-like loaf during steam-baking.

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