Gboma Dessi #EattheWorld

Culinary Cam
15 minutes ago
2 min read

Today the Eat the World writers are looking at Togo. Read more about the Eat the World project here.

The Togolese Line-Up

Crevettes aux Poivrons by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Gboma Dessi by Culinary Cam (you're here)
Togolese Gboma Dessi by Sneha's Recipe
Zowey (Togolese Spicy Peanut Balls) by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Gboma Dessi

I don't know why I had such a difficult time finding Togolese recipes. It might be because many of the West African countries' cuisines are very similar. This was one that I found specifically attributed to the country of Togo. It's essentially a spicy tomato-based sauce with greens that's used for different kinds of meat. I used chicken.

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon each ground anise seeds, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg
4 Tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced (approximately 1-1/2 cups)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
1 to 3 spicy peppers, depending on taste preference
2 tomatoes, diced
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1-inch knob fresh ginger, grated
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup ground almonds (I believe pumpkin seeds are traditionally used)
salt, to taste
1 pound spinach

Procedure

Season the chicken with the ground anise, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

Heat up half of the oil in a large pan. Sauté the chicken until cooked through, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the pan.

Heat up the remaining oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened and aromatic, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, and ginger. Cook for 3 to 3 minutes.

Pour in the stock and ground almonds. Season with salt. Simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes until thickened.

Stir in the spinach And cook until spinach is wilted. Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve gboma dessi with rice or potatoes.

That's a wrap for the October Eat the World event. We'll be back next month with another tabletop adventure. Stay tuned!