Muamba de galina (Angolan chicken stew) with funge

Muamba de galina is a flavoursome chicken and vegetable stew from Angola, and another foray into the world of African cuisine.

This rich and spicy dish is traditionally served with corn funge – a stiff porridge similar to polenta. Deliberately unseasoned, funge provides a starchy foil for the rich, spicy stew.

Palm oil features in many of the African recipes I’ve come across. Before our World Cup cooking challenge last summer, I’d never cooked with the stuff. Here it brings a distinctive flavour to muamba de galina and gives it a lovely reddish colour as well.

After looking at several recipes for muamba de galina, my version is closest to this one from Food.com.

Muamba de galina with funge
(serves 4)

• 8 bone-in chicken thighs
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 Tb sunflower oil
• 2 Tb palm oil
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole chilli, pierced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 15-20 okra, sliced
• about 2 cups chicken stock or water
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups fine cornmeal

1. In a large bowl, toss the chicken pieces with lemon juice, pepper, crushed garlic, thyme and smoked paprika. Leave to marinate for up to three hours.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the sunflower and palm oils over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, and brown all over.
3. Add the onions, and sauté until softened. Add the minced garlic, chilli pepper and tomatoes, and cook a couple of minutes more.
4. Add enough chicken stock or water to just cover the chicken. ring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the squash and leave it to cook for about twenty minutes, or until the squash is just tender.
5. Add the okra and cook for another five to ten minutes, until cooked through.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. To make the funge, bring three cups of water to boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly pour in the cornmeal, stirring steadily until it forms a stiff porridge.

Tags: African food, butternut squash, chicken, chillies, cornmeal, dairy-free, gluten-free, okra