Gboma Dessi and Akoume (Togolese Spinach Stew with Corn Swallow)

Introduction

Gboma dessi is a deeply savory Togolese spinach stew built on caramelized tomato paste, spiced meat broth, and tender spinach, paired with akoume—a cornmeal-and-flour dough that soaks up every bit of sauce. This recipe takes about 1.5 hours total and serves 4 to 6 people as a main course. The stew’s complexity comes from layering: meat cooked first until tender, then a spiced tomato base added to the broth, and finally fresh spinach folded in at the end.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 95 minutes
• Total Time: 115 minutes
• Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

Gboma dessi

• 5 tablespoons palm oil or vegetable oil
• 3 medium size onions, thinly sliced
• 3 medium size garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoon ginger powder (optional)
• 3 lb meat, cut into large cubes
• Salt to taste
• 2 hot pepper, neatly chopped
• 3 crushed chicken bouillon cubes
• Gbotemi spice blend (cloves, aniseed, ajwain, and cardamom, toasted and ground with ginger powder)
• 1 lb spinach
• 1 can (14 oz) tomato paste

Akoume

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup corn flour
• 1½ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup potato starch

Instructions

Gboma dessi

1. Put a pressure cooker on the fire and pour some oil into it. Add and sauté some of the sliced onions, minced garlic, and ginger powder for 2 minutes.
2. Add the meat, hot pepper, 2 bouillon cubes, and salt to taste. Add enough water to slightly cover the meat. Reduce the heat and cook for about 40 minutes or more, depending on the meat and the pressure cooker.
3. While the meat is cooking, wash the spinach leaves and boil in salted water for 15 minutes. Then, drain and cut into thin slices.
4. Remove the meat from the pressure cooker, drain it and put it in a bowl. Keep the broth in the pot.
5. Season the meat with the gbotemi spice blend.
6. Sauté the remaining onions and garlic cloves in a saucepan with the remaining palm oil or vegetable oil.
7. Add the tomato paste, and cook, stirring regularly for at least 10 minutes. Season with the remaining bouillon cube and hot pepper, then stir in the reserved broth. Boil over medium heat for 25 minutes.
8. Add spinach then the meat. Simmer for at least 15 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Akoume

1. Pour 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Add the corn flour and mix with a wooden spoon.
2. When the water boils, add the all purpose flour and stir vigorously.
3. Dilute the starch potato in 1 cup of water and pour into the pan.
4. Stir vigorously for 3 minutes, then cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. Once the dough is ready, you can shape it to any form of your desire.
6. Serve the gboma dessi on top of this akoume in a banana leaf, or serve the gboma dessi on the side of the akoume in a big plate.

Variations

Beef or lamb instead of mixed meat: Use a single type of meat for more uniform flavor and texture; beef yields a richer broth, while lamb adds a distinct warmth that pairs well with the gbotemi spices.

Fresh ginger instead of ginger powder: Increase the tomato paste simmering time by 5 minutes to let fresh ginger’s sharper notes integrate fully with the paste and broth.

Double the spinach: Add an extra 1 lb of spinach if you prefer a leafier, less concentrated stew; extend the final simmer to 20 minutes so the spinach fully softens and releases its flavor into the broth.

Skip the pressure cooker: Use a heavy Dutch oven or large pot instead, extending the meat cooking time to 60–70 minutes on medium heat until the meat is fork-tender; the broth will reduce more, so add water in ½-cup increments to maintain enough liquid for the stew.

Vegetable-forward version: Replace half the meat with cubed pumpkin or sweet potato, added when you stir in the spinach; reduce total cook time by 10 minutes since vegetables cook faster than meat.

Tips for Success

Toast and grind the gbotemi spices yourself if possible: Pre-ground spices fade quickly; fresh-toasted cloves, aniseed, ajwain, and cardamom ground together with ginger powder deliver a sharper, more aromatic bite that defines the stew’s flavor profile.

Don’t skip the 10-minute tomato paste cook: This step caramelizes the paste and removes any raw tomato sharpness, deepening the stew’s savory base—rushing it leaves the sauce tasting thin and acidic.

Pre-cook the spinach separately: Boiling spinach in salted water before adding it to the stew removes bitterness and prevents the greens from clouding the broth with sediment.

Keep the stew at a low simmer in the final 15 minutes: A rolling boil breaks down the meat’s texture and causes the spinach to disintegrate; gentle heat allows flavors to meld while keeping the meat tender.

Shape the akoume while still warm: The dough firms up as it cools, making it difficult to mold; if it cools completely, reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water and stir until pliable again.

Storage and Reheating

Stew: Store the gboma dessi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if the stew has thickened, until heated through (about 10 minutes). You can also reheat in a microwave in 2-minute intervals, stirring between each, but stovetop reheating prevents the spinach from breaking down further.

Akoume: Store cooled akoume in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat by slicing or breaking it into pieces, placing them in a covered pan over low heat with a teaspoon of water per piece, and warming for 3–5 minutes until softened. Akoume does not freeze well—the texture becomes grainy and separates.

FAQ

Can I make the stew ahead and freeze it? Yes, the gboma dessi freezes well for up to 2 months in an airtight freezer container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop, adding water as needed to restore the sauce consistency. The akoume should be made fresh or kept refrigerated for no more than 2 days.

What if I can’t find gbotemi spices or don’t want to toast and grind them myself? You can use a pinch of ground cloves, a small pinch of ground aniseed, a tiny pinch of ajwain (if available), and a pinch of ground cardamom, mixed together and stirred into the meat before adding it to the sauce—the individual spices will still provide warmth and depth, though the blend won’t be as cohesive as freshly ground.

Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh? Yes, but thaw and squeeze out excess moisture before using to prevent watering down the broth; use about ¾ lb of frozen spinach (roughly equivalent to 1 lb fresh after cooking down), and skip the pre-boiling step since frozen spinach is already softened.

Does the pressure cooker step actually save time, or can I use a regular pot? A pressure cooker cuts the meat cooking time to 40 minutes; in a regular pot on medium heat, plan for 60–70 minutes depending on the cut and size. Pressure cooking also produces a richer broth because the liquid stays in the pot, but regular pot cooking is simpler if you don’t have a pressure cooker.