Muzonguê

Ingredients

Broth

• 1 kgwhole fish, such as bream, corvina or a mix, cleaned, heads kept
• 300 gdried fish, soaked 30 min in warm water and flaked
• 2 litreswater
• 2bay leaves
• 1onion, halved
• 1.5 tspfine salt

Stew

• 120 mlred palm oil
• 3onions, sliced
• 6garlic cloves, chopped
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 600 gsweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 500 gcassava, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 2jindungo chillies, whole
• juice of 2 limes
• 1large bunch coriander, chopped

To serve

• 6deep bowls
• gindungo sauce
• 1lime, in wedges
• bread, for dunking

Directions

1. Simmer the fish heads and any trimmings in the water with the bay and halved onion for 25 minutes, skimming the grey foam off the top, then strain the broth and discard the solids.
2. Warm the palm oil in a deep pot over medium heat until it clears from orange to red, about 90°C (195°F), and stop well short of smoking.
3. Fry the sliced onions 10 minutes until golden, add the garlic, then the tomato paste, and cook 3 minutes until it darkens.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook 8 minutes until thick and the oil floats free on top.
5. Pour in the strained broth, add the cassava and the whole chillies, and simmer 20 minutes; cassava takes longer than sweet potato and goes in first.
6. Add the sweet potato and the soaked dried fish and simmer 15 minutes more, until both roots are tender and the broth has thickened slightly from their starch.
7. Slip in the whole fresh fish or its thick fillets and poach gently 8–10 minutes, without stirring, until the flesh flakes at the bone.
8. Take the pot off the heat, squeeze in the lime juice and scatter half the coriander, then let it stand 5 minutes.
9. Ladle into deep bowls, making sure each gets fish, root and plenty of the red broth, and finish with the remaining coriander.
10. Serve very hot with lime, gindungo and bread, traditionally at dawn.

Technique

• Muzongue is Luanda’s restorative broth, eaten at the end of a long night or at first light on the Ilha, and its reputation as a cure for a hangover is taken seriously.
• Two kinds of fish do two different jobs. Dried fish gives the deep, salty backbone of the broth, while fresh fish poached at the end gives the clean flakes; using only one leaves the soup either thin or one-note.
• Cut the cassava lengthways and pull out the woody central cord before cooking. It never softens, and it is the commonest thing wrong with a home muzongue.

Substitutions

• No dried fish: use 200 g of smoked mackerel, added with the sweet potato. The broth is smokier and slightly softer in flavour.
• Cassava can be replaced by more sweet potato or by green banana, though the broth thickens less.

Variations

• Muzongue with pumpkin leaves or gimboa stirred in at the end.
• A thicker version with funge whisked into the broth until it is almost a porridge.
• Made with palm-oil beans added in the last 10 minutes for a fuller meal.

History

Fish soup with palm oil and lemon, eaten in Luanda at dawn after a night out and reputed to cure the hangover.

Frequently asked questions

What is Muzonguê?

Muzonguê is a soup & stew from Angola: restorative fish broth with palm oil, sweet potato and cassava. Fish soup with palm oil and lemon, eaten in Luanda at dawn after a night out and reputed to cure the hangover.

How long does Muzonguê take to make?

Muzonguê takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Muzonguê?

Yes, within limits. No dried fish: use 200 g of smoked mackerel, added with the sweet potato. The broth is smokier and slightly softer in flavour. Cassava can be replaced by more sweet potato or by green banana, though the broth thickens less.

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

Pour in the strained broth, add the cassava and the whole chillies, and simmer 20 minutes; cassava takes longer than sweet potato and goes in first.