1
Start the palm base
Heat palm oil and cook onions until soft. Add garlic, tomatoes, and hot pepper.
Cook base
10:00
Guinea-Bissau | Main dish
Caldo de Chabeu
Guinea-Bissau palm-oil broth with okra, tomato, onion, chile, and fish or meat, served over rice.
Country
Guinea-Bissau
Region
West Africa
Time
70 min
Serves
6
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Chabeu is not rice pretending to be jollof. It is the sauce, red from palm oil and thickened with okra, made to ladle generously over rice.
What the dish tastes like
Guinea-Bissau palm-oil broth with okra, tomato, onion, chile, and fish or meat, served over rice.
When to cook it
Best for Family meals, with a medium cooking level and about 70 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Plain white rice, cassava, or boiled plantain
Follow the collection
One-Pot Wonders is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. One-Pot Wonders
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.
- Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
How you know it is ready
- The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
- Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
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Chef board
Build the table around Caldo de Chabeu
Plain white rice, cassava, or boiled plantain
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
Add okra
Stir in okra and cook until it begins to thicken the oil and tomato base.
Cook okra
08:00
3
Simmer broth
Add water or fish stock and bring to a simmer. Add fish gently and season with salt and pepper.
Simmer
15:00
4
Finish
Cook until the fish is done and the broth is glossy red. Keep it spoonable, not dry.
Finish fish
05:00
5
Serve
Ladle the chabeu over plain white rice or serve with cassava.
Fish, dried fish, chicken, beef, or shellfish can anchor the broth depending on the coast and household.