African Dishes

Stews, breads and street food from East, West and North Africa.

A wide off-white bowl of orange-brown groundnut soup flecked with red oil, holding a chicken drumstick, two chicken thighs and a white ball of omo tuo in the middle, with a cream enamelled cast-iron pot and a wooden spoon on a linen cloth behind it on a wooden table

Groundnut Soup (Nkatenkwan): Ghanaian Chicken Peanut Soup

October 29, 2026

A white bowl of reddish-orange palm nut soup with two whole cooked crabs, bone-in goat, smoked fish and a smooth ball of pale fufu, beside a whole orange habanero, a linen cloth and a wooden dish of oval red-orange and black palm fruits, two of them cut open to show orange flesh around a dark nut

Fufu and Palm Nut Soup (Abenkwan) with Goat, Smoked Fish and Crab

October 25, 2026

A mound of pale tan mashed beans on an off-white plate, topped with a very dark, almost black agoyin sauce of fried onions and red pepper flakes, its dark oil pooling on the plate, with a spoon on the rim and slices of soft white agege bread on a wooden board

Ewa Agoyin: Lagos Mashed Beans with Near-Black Pepper Sauce

October 22, 2026

A wide white speckled ceramic bowl of efo riro, chopped dark green spinach in a coarse orange-red palm oil and pepper sauce with cubes of beef, flaky chunks of smoked fish and pale grey pieces of stockfish, beside a smooth ball of pounded yam on a small plate and a steel pot on a wooden table

Efo Riro: Yoruba Spinach Stew with Peppers and Palm Oil

October 20, 2026

A cream stoneware bowl heaped with small golden-brown rectangles of chin chin on an oak table, with loose pieces in front, one broken open to show its dry, pale inside, and a dish of whole nutmegs and a linen napkin behind

Chin Chin Recipe: Crunchy Nigerian Fried Dough

October 15, 2026

A white plate of long-grain rice topped with dark green cassava leaf stew, chunks of beef and flakes of smoked fish, with orange-red palm oil pooling around it, in front of a black cast-iron pot of the stew and a small bowl of habanero peppers on a wooden table

Cassava Leaf Stew Recipe: Liberian Red Oil Cassava Leaf

October 10, 2026

Two whole pan-fried chambo with crisp, deeply scored golden skin on a white oval platter, topped with tomato and onion relish and cilantro, beside a bowl of white nsima, lemon wedges and a linen napkin on a wooden table

Chambo: Fried Lake Malawi Fish with Tomato Relish

October 10, 2026

A white plate of calulu with a browned fish steak, whole okra pods, cubes of orange sweet potato, rounds of zucchini, dark leafy greens, tomato and onion in orange-red palm oil sauce beside a mound of white funge, with a dark grey pot of the stew and a bowl of beans in palm oil behind it on a wooden table

Calulu Recipe: Angola's Dried Fish Stew

October 8, 2026

A wide off-white bowl of Cape Malay curry, chunks of lamb and potato in a golden sauce with dried apricot halves, a star anise pod and chopped cilantro beside white basmati rice, with a small bowl of tomato, onion and green chilli sambal, a plate of flaky roti and a cream enamelled cast iron pot on a wooden table

Cape Malay Curry Recipe: South African Aromatic Stew

October 8, 2026

A deep off-white bowl of cachupa, puffed white corn kernels, red kidney beans and pale lima beans in a thick golden-brown broth with shredded braised pork, rounds of linguiça, a slice of pork belly, potato, orange sweet potato and squash and a wedge of soft cabbage, with a spoon, a small dish of hot sauce and a stainless steel stockpot on a wooden table

Cachupa Recipe: Cape Verde's Hearty Stew

October 7, 2026

Five Rwandan goat brochettes on a long oval white platter on a rustic wooden table, charcoal-grilled cubes of meat with charred edges threaded on wooden skewers between chunks of white onion and red and green bell pepper, with a bowl of pilipili of chopped red chili and onion, a bowl of thick-cut fried potatoes, a bowl of shredded cabbage and carrot salad and half a lemon beside it

Brochettes: Rwandan Grilled Meat Skewers Recipe

October 5, 2026

A grilled boerewors coil on a round wooden board on a rustic wooden table, one continuous sausage in a three-turn spiral held by two crossed wooden skewers, its glossy golden-brown casing marked with dark grill lines, with a bowl of smooth white maize pap, a bowl of chakalaka and a pair of steel tongs beside it

Boerewors Recipe: South African Farmer's Sausage

October 4, 2026