🇨🇩 Congolese (DRC) Cuisine

Fumbwa

Wild Spinach Stew

Prep Time 30 min

Servings 6

Difficulty Medium

Calories 378 kcal

A rich stew of fumbwa (wild forest spinach) cooked with palm oil, peanut paste, and smoked fish, delivering a complex interplay of earthy and nutty flavors.

Ingredients

500g fumbwa leaves (or substitute spinach/kale)
1/4 cup palm oil
1/2 cup peanut paste
200g smoked fish, deboned
2 large onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bouillon cubes
1 scotch bonnet pepper
Salt to taste
3 cups water

Instructions

1 Wash fumbwa leaves thoroughly and chop finely.
2 Heat palm oil in a large pot. Saute onions and garlic until soft.
3 Dissolve peanut paste in water and add to the pot, stirring until smooth.
4 Add chopped fumbwa leaves and bring to a simmer.
5 Add smoked fish, bouillon cubes, and scotch bonnet. Cook for 40-45 minutes.
6 The stew should be thick with the leaves very tender. Serve with fufu or rice.

Did You Know?

Fumbwa leaves are foraged from the forest floor in the DRC's equatorial regions — they cannot be commercially cultivated, making this a true taste of the wild.