Mbongo tchobi: the Bassa black sauce recipe (Cameroon)

An emblematic specialty of the Bassa people (Littoral and Centre), mbongo tchobi is a deep, almost mysterious black sauce, made by lightly burning the spices before grinding them. Served with fresh fish and plantains, it’s one of the most powerful — and sought-after — tastes in Cameroonian cuisine.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1.5 kg fresh fish (catfish, sea bass or Nile perch) in steaks — or beef
• 4 to 6 pieces of mbongo bark (the master of the sauce — it blackens and perfumes it)
• 1 tbsp pèbè (false nutmeg), 2 tbsp crushed njansang
• 1 piece of olom bark (optional but traditional)
• 4 tomatoes, 2 onions, garlic, ginger, African basil (messep)
• 10 cl oil, salt, chilli

Method (1 h)

1. The spices: dry-roast the mbongo, pèbè and olom until slightly blackened, then grind them with the njansang, garlic and ginger into a black paste.
2. The base: sauté the sliced onion, add the crushed tomatoes then the black spice paste. Let it melt for 10 min, stirring: the sauce should darken and become fragrant.
3. Adding liquid: pour in 50 cl hot water, season with salt and simmer for 10 min.
4. The fish: gently add the fish steaks, the messep and the whole chilli. Simmer 20 min without stirring (shake the pot so as not to break the fish).
5. Serving: a glossy, slightly thick black sauce — with boiled plantains, miondo or white rice.

Secrets of a successful mbongo

• Roast without charring: spices burnt through make the sauce bitter; aim for aromatic black, not charcoal.
• Fish goes in last: it cooks in the sauce, never before.
• Go easy on stock cubes: mbongo stands on its own — it’s a spice sauce, not an industrial broth.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find mbongo and pèbè?

At the spice section of any Cameroonian market (ask for “mbongo spices”) and from spice sellers on Jangolo — the diaspora can also find them vacuum-dried.

Fish or meat?

The Bassa classic uses fresh fish; the beef version (meat mbongo) simply simmers 20 min longer.

Why isn’t my sauce black?

The spices weren’t roasted enough, or there isn’t enough mbongo: it’s the natural pigment of the sauce.

No time to cook? Find a restaurant

Want to enjoy this dish without cooking — or, if you run a restaurant or catering service, want to offer it to more customers? Discover the restaurants and caterers listed on Jangolo.

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