One thing I really like about this project, next to the various new cuisines I get to try, is learning things about countries I never knew – such as, that the Gambia is the smallest nation in Africa, fully located around the Gambia river, that flows through West Africa, originating in Guinea and then passing through Senegal – the country that fully envelops the Gambia (the nation) on all sides, save the Atlantic ocean.
Figuring it out:
While Gambia may be small, it still offered a variety of delicious dishes, several of them shared with its neighboring nations. One part of this project is also deciding just when to include which dish, and whether to repeat them. The best example for this is maybe my previous post about Jordan, in which I made Falafel and Hummus, two dishes that are popular in many of its neighboring nations as well.
While I wasn’t so lucky to find a single website to source my recipes from, I do usually find websites that delineate the country’s most iconic dishes and then I can move on from there. Of the recipes I do find, I usually try to make sure they have a connection to the country whose local cuisine I’m trying to prepare. As for the Gambia, I found a bunch of delicious treats to make.
This week’s menu (2025/04/13):
Starter:
Moi Moi/Olehleh – black eyed pea tamales? (The website I got the recipe from is sadly not available right now)
This was an interesting starter – and if you’re looking for a ton protein and fiber, this might be exactly what you’re looking for. Peeled black eyed peas are soaked overnight and then ground into a paste, mixed together with spices, and steamed for about 2 hours, until the bean paste is fully cooked. The recipe also recommended filling them with boiled egg halves, which I didn’t do. If I made these again, I might opt to not use the shrimp powder and maybe fill them with some shredded chicken instead.
Main:
Domoda – peanut stew (Recipe)
Very nice and peanutty flavor – it was an interesting combination. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Benachin – African red rice (Recipe)
This dish was very interesting in the way it was made. Usually, when I make risotto or a fried rice dish, that has a lot of mix-ins, the vegetables etc. are cut very small. Not with benachin. The ingredients are left in large chunks and served almost “alongside” the rice. Flavor-wise it was very nice.
Dessert & Drink:
Thiakry – sweet couscous (Recipe)
Now this was something special! A cold dessert made from couscous with condensed milk, then ground peanuts, coconut and grilled pineapple on top. So tasty and definitely unlike any dessert I’d had before!
Bissap – hibiscus iced tea (Recipe)
I was surprised to see this is the national drink of the Gambia and Senegal. I’ve known hibiscus drinks to be popular in Mexico (“agua de jamaica”) so to see it prepared in a similar way in a completely different region was interesting to say the least. This version adds mint, which is quite refreshing!
The gambia receives another 4/5 āļø from me. The Thiakry was really delicious and the dishes were quite interesting and unique – and I do mean that in a very positive sense! I don’t know quite how I feel about the large veggies in the rice and I found the shrimp flavor to be a bit overpowering in the Olehleh so it’s 4 stars from me. Definitely recommend making, especially the Domoda and the Thiakry.
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