1
Season and brown chicken
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown in oil, then remove.
Brown chicken
10:00
Guinea-Bissau | Soup
Caldo de Mancarra
Guinea-Bissau peanut broth with chicken, tomato, sweet potato, ginger, chile, and a creamy mancarra sauce for rice.
Country
Guinea-Bissau
Region
West Africa
Time
70 min
Serves
6
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Caldo de mancarra should feel like a broth that became generous. Keep the peanut smooth, the chicken tender, and the rice ready to drink up the sauce.
What the dish tastes like
Guinea-Bissau peanut broth with chicken, tomato, sweet potato, ginger, chile, and a creamy mancarra sauce for rice.
When to cook it
Best for Everyday meals, with a medium cooking level and about 70 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
White rice, lime, cilantro, or boiled cassava
Regional lane
Guinea-Bissau national table. A verified Guinea-Bissau dish in the AfroKitchen archive.
Chef watch-outs
- Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
- Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
- Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
How you know it is ready
- The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
- The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.
Chef board
Build the table around Caldo de Mancarra
White rice, lime, cilantro, or boiled cassava
Best route from here
Guinea-Bissau national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
5 steps
70 min total
medium
2
Cook the base
Cook onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes until soft and saucy.
Cook base
10:00
3
Add peanut broth
Whisk peanut paste with warm stock, then add to the pot with remaining stock, chicken, sweet potatoes, and hot pepper.
4
Simmer
Simmer gently until the chicken is tender and the sweet potato is soft.
Simmer caldo
45:00
5
Serve
Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot over white rice.
Chicken, fish, shrimp, okra, carrot, or sweet potato may appear depending on the cook and coast.