Zambia | Side

Delele

Delele is a side with okra, tomato and groundnut. Serve

Country
Zambia
Region
East Africa
Time
100 min
Serves
6
Level
medium
Start cooking Explore Zambia 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 methodMy cookbook

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

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

Back to Zambia
4 steps 25 min prep 75 min cook (check method) 100 min total medium
1
Build base
Cook onion, oil, tomato, and seasoning until aromatic.
base 10:00
2
Add main
Add okra and enough liquid to cook evenly.
main 08:00
3
Simmer
Cook until tender and concentrated.
simmer 30:00
4
Serve
Adjust seasoning and serve with nshima.
serve 05:00

Delele changes by household and market. Keep the main ingredient and seasoning balance, then adjust heat, liquid, or starch for your table.

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 family meals, weekend cooking, and country cooking.. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 100 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

nshima

Regional lane

Zambia national table. A structured Zambia dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs
  • Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
  • Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
  • Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.
How you know it is ready
  • The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
  • Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
  • The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.
Recipe illustrations

See the dish before you cook

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

A bowl of chopped okra relish with a maize-meal accompaniment; recipe illustration
Delele finished dish · Recipe illustration
Chef board

Build the table around Delele

nshima

Best route from here

Zambia national table

Collections to keep cooking
Explore Zambia recipes
Explore more recipes
Keep exploring

Cook around Delele

Find a side dish or your next recipe from the same country or collection.

Cooked caterpillars with tomato and onion, served beside nshima Zambia Main dish Vinkubala Vinkubala is a main dish with mopane worms, tomato and onion. Serve Time100 min ServingsServes 6 DifficultyMedium DietDairy Free RegionEast Africa Open recipe Nshima with Ifisashi recipe from Zambia Zambia Main dish Nshima with Ifisashi Zambian nshima with ifisashi, firm maize porridge served with leafy greens cooked in tomato-onion peanut sauce. Time55 min ServingsServes 4 DifficultyEasy DietVegan RegionEast Africa Open recipe Chikanda recipe from Zambia Zambia Snack Chikanda Chikanda is a snack with orchid tuber flour or safe substitute, peanut and chili. Serve Time50 min ServingsServes 6 DifficultyEasy DietDairy Free RegionEast Africa Open recipe Kapenta recipe from Zambia Zambia Side Kapenta Zambian kapenta, tiny dried fish rinsed, fried crisp, then cooked with onion, tomato, garlic, green pepper, and chile. Time30 min ServingsServes 4 DifficultyEasy DietGluten Free RegionEast Africa Open recipe
Browse AfroKitchen Explore Zambia recipes