Sauce Dah

Name: Sauce Dah
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Ivorian
Ingredients: 2 cups melon seeds (egusi or squash seeds); 300g smoked fish, deboned; 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped; 2 onions, chopped; 3 tomatoes, chopped; 3 tbsp palm oil; 2 scotch bonnet peppers; 1 bouillon cube; Salt to taste; 500ml water

Sauce Dah (sohs DAH)

Seed Sauce

⏱ Prep Time 1 hour

📈 Difficulty Hard

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 412 kcal

A complex, nutty sauce made from roasted melon or squash seeds ground into a paste and simmered with smoked fish and leafy greens.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 22.0g

Carbs 18.0g

Fat 28.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

dairy-free gluten-free nut-free

Allergen Warnings

⚠ fish ⚠ seeds

Equipment Needed

mortar and pestle or blender large pot wooden spoon

Presentation Guide

Vessel: deep bowl

Garnishes: toasted seeds

Accompaniments: foutou, placali, rice

Ingredients

2 cups melon seeds (egusi or squash seeds)
300g smoked fish, deboned
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 tbsp palm oil
2 scotch bonnet peppers
1 bouillon cube
Salt to taste
500ml water

Instructions

1
Roast melon seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Grind to a fine paste in a mortar or blender.
2
Heat palm oil and sauté onions until golden. Add chopped tomatoes and cook 10 minutes.
3
Add ground seed paste and stir well. Gradually add water, stirring to prevent lumps.
4
Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until sauce is thick and oil rises.
5
Add smoked fish, scotch bonnet, and bouillon. Cook 10 minutes.
6
Add chopped spinach, stir, and cook 5 more minutes. Serve with foutou or placali.

💡

Did You Know?

The art of properly roasting and grinding the seeds is the secret to a great sauce dah — under-roasted seeds produce a bland sauce, over-roasted ones taste bitter.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

mortar and pestle or blender
large pot
wooden spoon

Garnishing

toasted seeds

Accompaniments

foutou, placali, rice

The Story Behind Sauce Dah

Sauce dah is closely related to the egusi soups found across West Africa but has a distinctly Ivorian character. The Bété people are particularly known for their version, which uses a specific combination of seeds and greens that sets it apart from Nigerian or Ghanaian variants.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed lunch or dinner, special occasions 📜 Origins: Traditional Bété cuisine

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