Mbongo spice
Also called: mbongo, épices mbongo, mbongo tchobi spices, black spice, épices noires
Mbongo spice is a blend of spices roasted until they turn black, then ground. It is what gives mbongo tchobi its black colour and its smoky, slightly bitter, peppery taste. The powder is dark and strongly aromatic, and a small amount colours a whole pot.
Mbongo tchobi is the black sauce of the Bassa people, cooked in the Littoral and Centre regions, most often with fish. Lumo has one recipe that uses this spice: mbongo tchobi, where it cooks with njangsa and other aromatics. The dish is usually served with plantain, cassava or bobolo.
The exact blend varies from seller to seller and family to family. In Cameroonian markets you can buy it already roasted and ground, or buy the whole spices and roast them yourself. If you roast at home, use a dry pan over medium heat, keep stirring, and stop as soon as everything is black and dry; going too far makes it acrid. Keep the powder in a sealed jar away from light and moisture. Abroad, look in African grocery stores for "mbongo" or "mbongo tchobi spices". There is no substitute. Without this blend, the dish is no longer mbongo.
Recipes with this ingredient
- Mbongo Tchobi Littoral · 1 hr 10 min
The Bassa black sauce: fish simmered in a dark, smoky sauce of burnt spices, njansang and country pepper.