A rich, thick okra sauce cooked with beef, dried fish, and tomatoes, seasoned with traditional Chadian spices. This viscous, deeply flavored sauce is poured over boule and eaten communally from a shared bowl.
Ingredients
500g beef, cubed
300g fresh okra, finely sliced
3 tbsp dried fish, ground
3 large tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, diced
4 tbsp groundnut oil
1 liter water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 bouillon cube
1 small hot pepper
Instructions
1Heat groundnut oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Brown beef cubes on all sides, working in batches to ensure proper searing, about eight minutes total.
2Add diced onions and garlic to the pot. Saute until softened and beginning to color, roughly five minutes.
3Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they collapse into a thick paste, stirring often for about ten minutes.
4Pour in water, add bouillon cube, hot pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for thirty minutes until beef is tender.
5Add finely sliced okra and ground dried fish. Stir well and simmer for fifteen minutes until the sauce becomes thick and mucilaginous.
6Remove hot pepper. Serve the sauce ladled generously over boule, with the communal eating style traditional in Chadian homes.
Did You Know?
In Chadian tradition, the person who prepares sauce gombo is judged by how well the sauce "draws" - the long, stretchy threads of okra are a sign of proper cooking technique.