Mossaka — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Smoked freshwater fish combined with eggplant, okra, and tomatoes in a rich palm oil sauce. This hearty one-pot meal captures the smoky, earthy flavors of traditional Congolese riverside cooking.

Ingredients

400g smoked fish, flaked
2 medium eggplants, cubed
200g okra, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
2 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp palm oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Fresh basil leaves
2 cups water

Instructions

1 Soak smoked fish in warm water for fifteen minutes to soften slightly. Remove skin and bones, then flake into large pieces. Reserve the soaking liquid.
2 Heat palm oil in a large pot. Saute diced onions for five minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook one minute more.
3 Add diced tomatoes and scotch bonnet pepper. Cook for eight minutes until the tomatoes collapse into a thick, rich sauce.
4 Add cubed eggplant and two cups of water including the fish soaking liquid. Simmer for fifteen minutes until eggplant begins to soften.
5 Add sliced okra and flaked smoked fish. Stir gently and continue cooking for ten minutes until all vegetables are tender and the stew is thick.
6 Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot with fufu or steamed rice.

Did You Know?

Mossaka takes its name from a city in the Republic of Congo located at the confluence of two rivers, reflecting the dish's riverine fishing heritage.