Niger | Main dish

Dambou

Name: Dambou
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Niger, West Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups millet flour, rice flour, or fine couscous grains; 2 cups fresh moringa leaves or spinach, chopped; 1 whole onion, finely diced; 1 whole sweet pepper or chile, finely diced; 3 tbsp groundnut oil; ¼ cup roasted peanuts, crushed; 1 tsp salt; ¾ cup water, for sprinkling and steaming

Nigerien dambou, steamed millet or couscous grains mixed with moringa leaves, onion, chile, oil, and crushed peanuts.

Country

Niger

Region

West Africa

Time

60 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Niger 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.

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

Main dish

Grains

2 cups millet flour, rice flour, or fine couscous grains

Greens

2 cups fresh moringa leaves or spinach, chopped

Seasoning

1 whole onion, finely diced 1 whole sweet pepper or chile, finely diced 3 tbsp groundnut oil ¼ cup roasted peanuts, crushed 1 tsp salt

Liquid

¾ cup water, for sprinkling and steaming

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

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

Back to Niger

5 steps 25 min prep 35 min cook (check method) 60 min total medium

Form grains

Sprinkle water into the millet flour or couscous while rubbing with your fingers to form tiny grains.

Steam first

Steam the grains in a lined steamer until firm and fluffy.

Steam grains 20:00

Cook greens

Blanch or steam moringa leaves until tender, then squeeze lightly if very wet.

Cook greens 10:00

Mix and finish

Break up the steamed grains and fold in moringa, onion, pepper, oil, crushed peanuts, and salt.

Warm through

Return to the steamer briefly so the flavors settle and the texture stays fluffy.

Finish steam 10:00

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 Everyday meals. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 60 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Tomato sauce, grilled fish, roast meat, or extra chile oil

Follow the collection

Vegetarian Africa is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. Vegetarian Africa

Regional lane

Niger national table. A structured Niger 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.
Overcooking the greens until the color and texture collapse.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
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.

Dambou recipe from Niger — Dambou finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Dambou

Tomato sauce, grilled fish, roast meat, or extra chile oil

Best route from here

Niger national table

Collections to keep cooking

One-Pot Family Meals Vegetarian African Classics

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