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1
Soften the Onion
5 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent but not browned.
Browning the onion here makes the whole pot bitter — keep it pale and sweet.
Done when: The onion is soft, pale and sweet-smelling.
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2
Wilt the Greens
10 Mins
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Add the chopped spinach and sorrel a handful at a time, stirring as each handful wilts down. Add 500 ml of the water, the salt and the baking soda if using, and the whole scotch bonnet. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the greens are completely soft and dark.
The pot looks impossibly full at first — greens collapse to a quarter of their volume in minutes.
Done when: The greens are dark, soft and reduced, with liquid bubbling around them.
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3
Add Soumbala and Peanuts
5 Mins
Simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Stir in the crushed soumbala and the ground peanuts. The pot will smell strong and funky — that is exactly right. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until the peanuts thicken the liquid into a creamy sauce around the greens.
If the smell worries you, remember it mellows as it cooks, just like a strong cheese softens in a sauce.
Done when: The sauce coats the greens and smells deep and savoury rather than raw.
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4
Add the Rice
20 Mins
Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Sprinkle in the broken rice and the remaining 300 ml of water, and stir well so the rice is spread through the greens. Cover, lower the heat to the gentlest simmer and cook for 18–20 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the rice is soft and has absorbed most of the liquid into a thick, porridge-like mass.
Broken rice drinks up water fast — if the pot looks dry before the rice is soft, add a splash of hot water.
Done when: The rice is soft and the pot holds together as one thick, spoonable mass.
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5
Rest and Taste
5 Mins
Resting, about 70°C (160°F)
Take the pot off the heat, remove the whole chilli, and rest covered for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt — soumbala varies, so season at the end, not the start. Serve hot in bowls.
The flavour deepens as it rests; the first spoonful straight from the boil is never the best one.
Done when: The babenda is thick, soft and savoury, with the rice and greens in one mass.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon the babenda into bowls while it is still steaming, and eat it as it is, or with a ball of tô for scooping. A drizzle of shea butter or peanut oil over the top is the traditional finish.
Burkina Faso
2h 5m
France
Vietnam