São Tomé and Príncipe | Stew

Calulu

Name: Calulu
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: São Tomé and Príncipe, West Africa
Ingredients: 500 g dried, salted, or smoked fish, soaked if salty and deboned; 300 g fresh okra, sliced; 4 medium tomatoes, chopped; 1 medium eggplant, cubed; 2 cups spinach, amaranth, or other greens, chopped; 2 large onions, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; ¼ cup red palm oil; 1 whole hot chile; 1½ cups water or fish soaking liquid, use only if not too salty; salt and black pepper, after tasting fish

São Toméan calulu, dried or smoked fish slowly stewed with okra, tomatoes, eggplant, greens, garlic, chile, and palm oil.

Country

São Tomé and Príncipe

Region

West Africa

Time

115 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore São Tomé and Príncipe recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Stew

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to São Tomé and Príncipe

5 steps 45 min prep 70 min cook (check method) 115 min total medium

Prepare the fish

Soak smoked and dried fish separately in warm water for 30 minutes. Debone and break into large chunks.

Soak fish 30:00

Layer the stew

In a heavy pot, layer palm oil, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, okra, and both types of fish. Season each layer with salt and pepper.

Kitchen noteLayering builds complex flavours — do not stir at this stage.

Slow cook

Cover tightly. Cook on the lowest heat for 45 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally but not stirring.

Kitchen noteThe stew cooks in its own juices — do not add water.

Slow cook 45:00

Check and stir

After 45 minutes, gently stir from the bottom. The okra should have thickened the sauce. Simmer 10 more minutes.

Final simmer 10:00

Serve

Serve over mashed breadfruit or plantain (angú).

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for National celebrations and Sunday lunch. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 115 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Angú de banana, mashed breadfruit, rice, or boiled plantain

Regional lane

São Tomé and Príncipe national table. A structured São Tomé and Príncipe dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Overcooking the greens until the color and texture collapse.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
Greens should be cooked through but still look alive and glossy.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Calulu recipe from São Tomé and Príncipe — Calulu finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Calulu

Angú de banana, mashed breadfruit, rice, or boiled plantain

Best route from here

São Tomé and Príncipe national table

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