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The African Gourmet

The African Gourmet: Explore African Culture & Recipes

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Portuguese Food From Angola Africa

Portuguese Muamba Chicken Stew and Funge is a fresh take on food from Angola, Africa. Muamba de Galinha, also known as Muamba chicken stew, is Portuguese chicken stewed in Muamba sauce.

Funge is an authentic side dish for classic Angolan stews
Making funge

Angolan food is simple to make good and the classic national dish of Angolan Chicken Stew, flavored with garlic, hot chilis, pumpkin, okra, cooked in palm oil eaten with Funge, a cassava firm dough is one of the best food recipes Angola has to offer the culinary world.

Portuguese is the official language of Africa's 7th largest county of Angola. In 1483 Portuguese arrive to the current most expensive captial city in the world, Luanda Angola. Portuguese food, culture and language still have major influence on Angolans. Angola's name is derived from the Portuguese from the title Ngola held by kings of the Ndongo. Ndongo was a kingdom in what is now northern Angola.

In Angola, as in other countries of the globe, local products determine the culinary composition of the dishes. In addition, many of its regions, despite belonging to the same country, have their seasoning variations.


Chicken Moamba is a dinner dish that exemplifies Angolan recipes using palm oil for flavor. Muamba de Galinha is Portuguese Chicken in Muamba sauce served with Funge.

Portuguese Angolan chicken moamba is traditionally eaten on weekends or days reserved for longer cooking times. It is a kind of chicken stew, with palm oil, served with funge that is a typical recipe of Angola made from corn or cassava flour.

Muamba de Galinha, or Muamba chicken stew, is Portuguese chicken stewed in garlic, hot pepper, pumpkin, okra, palm oil, and Muamba sauce. The palm oil tree is indigenous to West Africa, naturally occurring along the 300-mile coastline strip from the Gambia to Angola. 

As with many African food recipes, it is normal for there to be variations of traditional dishes and Chicken Muamba Angolan Chicken Stew is no exception.


Moamba Angolan Stew
Moamba Angolan Stew

Portuguese Chicken Moamba Angolan Chicken Stew Ingredients and Directions.

Ingredients.

6 pieces of chicken

2 cups cubed fresh cooking pumpkins

2 large red tomatoes, diced

4 cups fresh sliced okra

2 white onions, diced

1 cup of canned white beans

1 cup palm oil

5 cloves garlic

Juice of one lemon

1 Maggie vegetable cube

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon chili powder

3 chopped chili peppers

5 cups water

Angolan chicken stew and funge
Angolan chicken stew and funge

Directions.

Season chicken with spices, garlic, and lemon juice and marinate it for 2 hours or overnight for maximum flavor. In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm the palm oil, add chicken and vegetables, add the water last. Simmer for 2 hours until chicken is tender. Serve over Funge.

Rui eating funge with his family in Huambo Angola.
Rui eating funge with his family in Huambo Angola.


About Funge.

Funge is an authentic side dish for classic Angolan stews; the recipe is below. Funge is cooked in boiling water until it reaches a stiff or firm dough-like consistency. The main difference between fufu and Funge is fufu is pounded while Funge is boiled.

Angolan Portuguese Funge Ingredients and Directions.
Ingredients.
1/2 cups cassava flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups water

Directions.
Add boiling water in a large bowl; add salt and mix ingredients well. Too much water and your Funge will be thin; too little water and the Funge will be too thick. Stirring constantly until thick paste forms. Funge is eaten by squeezing small pieces lightly to form a ball with the dough to scoop sauce. Use Funge in place of your fork and spoon.


Did you know Portuguese is spoken in several African countries and is the official language in six African countries: Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), Sรฃo Tomรฉ and Prรญncipe and Equatorial Guinea. In Mozambique, 10 percent of the African population speaks Portuguese as a first language. 

In Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), 100 percent of the African population speaks Portuguese as a first language. Many Africans speak Portuguese as a second language. Portuguese is the third most spoken Western language after English and Spanish.

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