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Bouillon d'awara
Bouillon d'awara: French Guiana's Easter stew of awara palm fruit
Families in Cayenne, Kourou and Mana start bouillon d'awara days before Easter Monday, when it is eaten together and shared with neighbours; local lore says whoever eats it will come back to Guiana. The base is a thick orange paste of awara palm fruit, cooked very slowly with smoked chicken, salted pork, smoked fish, crab or prawns and a mass of vegetables until everything melds. Awara paste is sold frozen or in jars in Guianese and Antillean shops; if you can't find it, use a mix of palm-fruit concentrate (sold for West African banga soup) and puréed pumpkin, which gives a similar richness though not the same flavour. Salted meats must soak in the fridge overnight. The usual mistake is letting the thick stew catch on the bottom, so stir often. Chef's tip: the stew tastes even better on the second day, reheated until piping hot.
- Total time
- 360 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the stew
- 2 ¼ lb awara pasteor 500 g palm-fruit concentrate plus 500 g puréed pumpkin
- 1 ⅛ lb salted pork tails or salted pork bellysoaked in the fridge overnight, water changed twice
- 1 ¾ lb smoked chickenjointed
- 10 ½ oz smoked fish filletsuch as smoked haddock or mackerel
- 14 oz raw prawnsshell on
- 8 ¼ cups water
For the vegetables
- ½ white cabbagechopped
- 9 oz green beanscut in 3 cm lengths
- 2 auberginescubed
- 1 cucumberpeeled and cubed
- 10 ½ oz spinach
- 2 onionschopped
- 6 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 bunch chives or spring onionchopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 scotch bonnet chillieswhole
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 1 ⅛ lb salted pork tails or salted pork belly, cover with fresh water and simmer for 30 minutes to remove more salt. Drain and cut into pieces.
30 minStep 2: In a very large heavy pot, warm 2 ¼ lb awara paste with half of 8 ¼ cups water over a low heat, stirring until smooth. Simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring often and scraping the bottom so it doesn't catch.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile, fry 2 onions, 6 cloves garlic and half of 0.5 bunch chives or spring onion in 3 tbsp vegetable oil until soft, 8 minutes, then stir them into the pot with 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 3 bay leaves, 4 whole cloves and 2 scotch bonnet chillies.
8 minStep 4: Add the pork, 1 ¾ lb smoked chicken and the rest of 8 ¼ cups water. Simmer very gently for 1½ hours, stirring every 10 minutes.
90 minStep 5: Add ½ white cabbage, 9 oz green beans, 2 aubergines and 1 cucumber and simmer for 1 hour more, until the vegetables have almost melted into the sauce.
60 minStep 6: Flake in 10 ½ oz smoked fish fillet, add 10 ½ oz spinach and 14 oz raw prawns and simmer for 10 minutes, until the prawns are pink right through and the chicken is falling off the bone and piping hot (165°F).
10 minStep 7: Remove the peppers and bay, stir in the rest of 0.5 bunch chives or spring onion and serve hot with white rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 35 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bouillon d'awara take?
- About 360 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 300 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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