A Mosaic of Flavor: Congolese Beef Stew and Ugali

This monthly series is a collaboration with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program. In January we will make two traditional dishes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that are great for wintertime. Moambé is a hearty beef stew made with onions, tomatoes, chilis, greens and palm nuts or nut butter. We will also learn to make Ugali, a dish made of cornmeal boiled in milk or water until it reaches a dough-like consistency. Ugali is the staple starch in the African Great Lakes region and is enjoyed as a tasty and filling accompaniment to many meat and vegetable dishes. Martha Mlebinge is from Congo-Kinshasa. She lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania before coming to Vermont in February 2016. Martha loves cooking and believes food is an essential part of life. It is important for her to cook food that tastes good so that her family will want to eat it and remain strong.