Thiéré ak Mboum (Couscous with Moringa Sauce) is a traditional Senegalese recipe for a dish of couscous cooked with baobab leaf powder served with a meat, stockfish, peanut powder and moringa leaf sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Senegalese version of: Couscous with Moringa Sauce (Thiéré ak Mboum).
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Baobab leaf powder used to be a common ingredient in Senegalese cookery. It has largely been replaced by moringa leaf powder (which is a more vibrant green) which is used as a general colouring and protein source in desserts and main courses. This recipe is for couscous with a meat, fish and tomato sauce in a peanut powder base with moringa leaves. This recipe, does however, retain the baobab leaf (lalo) powder to add to the couscous. Note that in Senegal you can readily buy fresh couscous with and without the baobab leaf, so you do not need to cook the couscous as below. Note that baobab leaf powder is readily available in many health-food stores.
Ingredients:
For the thiéré (couscous):
1 kg of couscous
2 teaspoon of lalo (baobab leaf powder)
For the sauce:
500g meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
500g fish
2 pieces of dried and salted fish (guédj/stockfish)
250g guerté noflaye (peanut powder)
200g mboom leaves (moringa/nebedaye leaves)
1 onion
2 spring onions
2 green bell peppers
1 habanero pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp tomato purée (optional)
Salt, freshly-ground black pepper, chilli powder
Method:
Place the couscous in a bowl, sprinkle over 150ml (3/5 cup) water then set aside to soak.
Wash the meat, place in the pot of a couscousier along with 1.5l (6 cups) water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Transfer the couscous to your couscousier and steam for 15 minutes. If, by this time, the couscous is tender turn into a bowl (if not, cook for 5 minutes more and test again). Mix the baobab leaf powder with 5 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Stir this through the couscous, return to the couscousier and cook for 5 more minutes then take off the heat and set aside to keep warm.
By this time, the meat should be cooked. Wash the fish and cut into steaks. Wash the guédj (stockfish), and break into pieces. Add both the stockfish and the fresh fish to your pot. Pick over the moringa leaf powder then stir into the pot. Cover and cook for 30 minutes over low heat. At this point remove the fish and set aside.
Sift the ground peanuts to remove any large pieces (either discard these or put in a blender to powder). Whilst stirring constantly, add the peanut powder to the pot. Now stir in the tomato purée until dissolved. Combine the onion, spring onions, garlic and green bell pepper in a food processor. Chop finely then add to the stew. Also add the whole habanero chilli. Stir well to combine, cover and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat, stirring regularly during this time.
Season with 1/2 tsp salt then take the fish, strip the bones and flake the flesh. Add the fish to the stew. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes over low heat. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
By this time, the oil should have separated and floated to the top... your mboum (moringa) sauce is now ready.
Place the couscous in one dish and ladle the mboum sauce into another. Top the moringa sauce with the whole chilli.
Serve hot.
To eat, spoon the couscous onto a plate and top with the moringa sauce.
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