Nyambeh nyebbeh (cassava and beans in palm oil)
Nyambeh nyebbeh: The Gambia's boiled cassava and black-eyed beans in a red palm-oil pepper sauce
Bright with red palm oil, nyambeh nyebbeh, cassava (nyambeh) and beans (nyebbeh), is a favourite Gambian lunch from Banjul compounds to roadside food stalls. Chunks of cassava and black-eyed beans are boiled until tender, then dressed with a hot sauce of red palm oil, onion and Scotch bonnet. Cassava gives starchy, slightly sweet bites, the beans turn creamy, and the palm oil adds its earthy, peppery depth. Dried fish is often crumbled in; this is the meat-free version. Chef's tip: always cook cassava fully and pull out the woody core string, since undercooked or raw cassava is unsafe to eat; it is ready when a knife slides through with no resistance.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the cassava and beans
- 10 ½ oz dried black-eyed beanssoaked for 4 hours, or 2 tins (480 g drained) cooked beans
- 1 ¾ lb fresh cassavapeeled, core removed, cut into 5 cm chunks; or frozen cassava
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the pepper sauce
- ¼ cup red palm oiluse a sustainably certified one
- 2 onionssliced
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 Scotch bonnet chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 ripe tomatochopped
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz dried black-eyed beans, cover with fresh water in a pan and boil hard for 10 minutes, then simmer until tender but not falling apart. Add ¾ tsp salt near the end. Drain, keeping a cup of the cooking water. (Tinned beans just need warming.)
40 minStep 2: Meanwhile, cover 1 ¾ lb fresh cassava with cold water in another pan, add the rest of ¾ tsp salt, bring to the boil and simmer until a knife slides through easily and the chunks look slightly translucent.
25 minStep 3: Drain the cassava and pull out any fibrous core strings.
Step 4: Warm ¼ cup red palm oil gently in a wide pan over a medium-low heat; do not let it smoke. Add 2 onions and cook until soft.
6 minStep 5: Add 3 garlic cloves, 2 Scotch bonnet chillies, 1 ripe tomato and ½ tsp ground black pepper and cook until the tomato breaks down into a thick sauce.
5 minStep 6: Add the beans, cassava and a splash of the bean water and turn gently to coat everything in the red sauce. Heat through and serve hot.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 100 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nyambeh nyebbeh (cassava and beans in palm oil) take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Caramelised clay-pot tofu and mushrooms
Kho is the slow braise of the Mekong Delta: food simmered in a little clay pot (nồi đất) with dark caramel and seasoning until the sauce is sticky and the flavours go deep. This vegetarian cousin of cá kho tộ (braised fish) uses golden tofu and meaty mushrooms in place of fish, cooked in coconut water, as cooks do in the south, and finished with plenty of black pepper. Serve it bubbling in its pot with steamed rice and a sour soup or plain boiled vegetables. Chef's tip: take the caramel (nước màu) to a deep mahogany, darker than you think, just before it smokes; pale caramel only tastes sweet, while dark caramel gives the bittersweet, smoky flavour of a real kho.
Vietnamese
Coastal Mombasa mix
A Mombasa street-food bowl: chickpeas and potato simmered in coconut milk with raw mango and chilli, ladled into small bowls and topped with crisp lentil fritters, crunchy chevdo and red, green and tamarind chutneys. Make the fritters and chevdo ahead and assemble at the table. It's sweet, sour, hot and crunchy all at once.
Black bean tacos with lime slaw
Proof that a meat-free taco night can be the best one. The beans are mashed with chipotle and cumin so they hold together in the tortilla, and a quick lime slaw adds crunch.
Mexican