🇧🇫 Burkinabe Cuisine

Babenda

Mixed Leaf and Millet Stew

Prep Time 50 min

Servings 6

Difficulty Medium

Calories 296 kcal

A hearty one-pot stew of assorted leafy greens simmered with crumbled millet tô, dawadawa, and smoked fish, creating a thick and nutritious Mossi comfort dish.

Ingredients

3 cups mixed leafy greens (sorrel, spinach, baobab leaves), washed and chopped
2 cups leftover tô or cooked millet porridge
200g smoked fish, deboned
2 tbsp dawadawa
1 large onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp shea butter or vegetable oil
1 habanero pepper
1 Maggi cube
Salt to taste
1L water

Instructions

1 Heat shea butter in a large pot and sauté onion until golden.
2 Add tomatoes, dawadawa, and habanero. Cook 5 minutes until tomatoes break down.
3 Pour in water and bring to a boil. Add smoked fish pieces.
4 Add the chopped leafy greens and simmer for 15 minutes until tender.
5 Crumble the leftover tô or millet porridge into the pot and stir thoroughly to thicken.
6 Cook on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Season and serve in deep bowls.

Did You Know?

Babenda is the ultimate Burkinabe zero-waste dish — it was invented as a way to use leftover tô, transforming yesterday's staple into today's feast.