Manba

Ingredients

Peanuts

• 600 graw shelled peanuts, skins on

To flavour

• 2to 4 scotch bonnet or habanero chillies, stems removed
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspsugar, if wanted
• 2 tbsppeanut oil, only if needed

Sometimes added

• 1 tspground cinnamon
• a pinch of grated nutmeg

To serve

• fresh bread
• cassava bread
• banana

Directions

1. Spread them in a single layer on a baking tray. Roast them at 170C for about eighteen minutes. Shake the tray every five minutes so they colour evenly. They are ready when the skins darken and split and they smell strongly of peanut.
2. Take one out and break it open to check the colour inside. It should be a light golden brown all the way through.
3. Tip the hot peanuts into a clean tea towel. Fold it over and rub them hard between your hands. Tip the peanuts into a bowl and blow or fan the loose skins away.
4. Let the peanuts cool for only five minutes, since warm nuts grind far better. Preparing the chilli needs some care with your hands.
5. Remove the stems and decide whether to keep the seeds. Two chillies gives a warm manba and four gives a fierce one. Add the salt and the sugar if you are using it. Run the machine and be patient, since this takes several minutes.
6. Add the peanut oil only if it is still stubbornly dry after five minutes. Manba is deliberately coarse rather than smooth. Taste it carefully and adjust the salt and the heat. Remember the heat builds over the following hours.
7. Pack it into a clean jar and press out any air pockets. Stir it back in before each use. It keeps for about a month, longer if refrigerated.

Technique

• Grind the warm peanuts patiently until the oil releases; do not add oil beforehand.
• Stop while the texture is still coarse, since smooth is not what is wanted.
• The chilli heat builds over hours, so what tastes moderate now will be hotter tomorrow.

Substitutions

• Habanero in place of scotch bonnet, which is closely related.
• Skins left on for a darker, more bitter manba.

Variations

• Made mild, with only one chilli.
• With cinnamon and nutmeg added.
• With the skins left on, as some makers prefer.

History

Haiti’s daily peanut butter, roasted and milled with hot pepper; sold in reused bottles at every market.

Frequently asked questions

What is Manba?

Manba is a sauce & condiment from Haiti: coarse peanut butter ground with scotch bonnet chilli, spread on bread. Haiti’s daily peanut butter, roasted and milled with hot pepper; sold in reused bottles at every market.

How long does Manba take to make?

Manba takes 20 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 large jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Manba?

Yes, within limits. Habanero in place of scotch bonnet, which is closely related. Skins left on for a darker, more bitter manba.

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

Add the peanut oil only if it is still stubbornly dry after five minutes. Manba is deliberately coarse rather than smooth. Taste it carefully and adjust the salt and the heat. Remember the heat builds over the following hours.