Niger – Dambou

by Bob Huyu

Niger is among the western African countries. It is bounded on the northwest by Algeria, east by Chad, on the south by Nigeria and Benin, and on the west by Mali. The country comprises of more than 100 tribes, but the famous ones are Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo and Ijaw.

Despite the idea that Niger shares it’s cuisines with Nigeria, however they are quite two different countries with very little customs and traditional dishes similarities. One to talk about is Dambou.

Dambou cuisine comprises of veggie leaves mixed with semolina flour.

Sometimes it can be mixed with other ingredients like green peppers, chopped potatoes, red peppers as well as hard boiled eggs.

Dambou preparation may take as much as 30 minutes with an expert person but 40 minutes to a beginner.

On your kitchen, let’s make things happen, Dambou cuisine from Niger. Welcome to the cuisine.

Ingredients

• 1/4 kg of couscous semolina
• A handy bunch of spinach
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 kub broth
• salt
• oil

Cooking

• Wash all the veggies to make them clean and ready.
• Mash small kub broth to make a kub broth powder.
• Chop onions long.
• Boil spinach together with pepper over boiling pan for 10 minutes less.
• Take another pan and boil 1 cup of water.
• Once spinach finishes boiling, removes it from soup and sieve it to remove accumulated water.
• Mix semolina with water over a bowl, add some oil to mix semolina grains well.
• Add boiled water and mix with semolina, leave them to swell well.
• Fry onions in a saucepan until browned and tender, pour kub powder over it, mix.
• Add spinach and keep mixing.
• Using fork, fluff semolina to get rid of lumps, pour semolina over spinach while mixing. Keep on heat for few seconds then remove from heat.
• Our cuisine is ready, serve hot.