Gimboa

Ingredients

Greens

• 800 ggimboa leaves, or amaranth or waterleaf greens, thick stems stripped out
• 1 tspfine salt
• water for blanching

Stew

• 100 mlred palm oil
• 2onions, finely sliced
• 4garlic cloves, chopped
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 150 gdried fish, soaked 20 min in warm water, boned and flaked
• 2jindungo chillies, minced
• 0.5 tspfine salt
• black pepper

To serve

• 500 gfunge or boiled cassava
• gindungo sauce

Directions

1. Strip the leaves from the stems, wash them in two changes of water and shake dry; sandy greens will ruin the finished dish.
2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the leaves and blanch 3 minutes, until they collapse and turn deep green.
3. Drain, refresh briefly under cold water and squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands, then chop coarsely.
4. Warm the palm oil in a wide pan over medium heat until it clears from orange to red, about 90°C (195°F), and never let it smoke.
5. Fry the onions 8–10 minutes until soft and golden, then add the garlic and chilli and cook 1 minute more.
6. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 8 minutes until they break down and the oil floats red on the surface.
7. Add the flaked dried fish and cook 3 minutes so it perfumes the oil.
8. Fold in the squeezed greens, season, and cook uncovered 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the leaves are meltingly soft and glossy with oil and no free liquid remains in the pan.
9. Taste for salt, remembering that dried fish is salty already, and serve hot beside funge with gindungo.

Technique

• Gimboa is a soft, slightly mucilaginous leaf grown in Angolan gardens and sold in tied bundles at market; amaranth leaf, waterleaf and young sweet-potato leaf all behave the same way in the pan.
• Blanch and squeeze before the greens go in the oil. Leaves added raw release a great deal of water, which boils the stew and separates the palm oil into a greasy slick.
• The greens should end up dark and unctuous, not soupy. If liquid remains at the end, raise the heat and cook it off before serving.

Substitutions

• In place of dried fish, 150 g of smoked mackerel gives a softer, smokier result; add it at the same stage.
• Spinach can be substituted at a push, but it is far wetter and less mucilaginous, so blanch it only 60 seconds and squeeze it hard.

Variations

• Gimboa cooked with pounded peanuts stirred in for the last 10 minutes, closer to kizaka.
• A version with sliced okra added with the tomato for extra body.
• Cooked simply with onion, palm oil and salt as an everyday side.

History

An Angolan garden green sold in bunches at Luanda markets and cooked as everyday relish with funge.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gimboa?

Gimboa is a salad & side from Angola: tender leafy green stewed with onion, palm oil and dried fish. An Angolan garden green sold in bunches at Luanda markets and cooked as everyday relish with funge.

How long does Gimboa take to make?

Gimboa takes 20 min of preparation and 35 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings as a side. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Gimboa?

Yes, within limits. In place of dried fish, 150 g of smoked mackerel gives a softer, smokier result; add it at the same stage. Spinach can be substituted at a push, but it is far wetter and less mucilaginous, so blanch it only 60 seconds and squeeze it hard.

What is the most important thing to get right in Gimboa?

Warm the palm oil in a wide pan over medium heat until it clears from orange to red, about 90°C (195°F), and never let it smoke.