1
Start base
Heat palm oil or shea butter and cook onion until soft. Stir in soumbala.
Cook base
05:00
Mali | Soup
Fakoye
Northern Malian fakoye leaf sauce with jute or molokhia leaves, dried fish, soumbala, onion, chile, and optional okra.
Country
Mali
Region
West Africa
Time
55 min
Serves
6
Level
easy
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Fakoye is a leaf sauce first. The pot should turn silky and deep, with soumbala and dried fish giving it its old-school backbone.
What the dish tastes like
Northern Malian fakoye leaf sauce with jute or molokhia leaves, dried fish, soumbala, onion, chile, and optional okra.
When to cook it
Best for Everyday meals, with a easy cooking level and about 55 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Toh, rice, millet paste, or steamed fonio
Regional lane
Mali national table. A verified Mali 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
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 Fakoye
Toh, rice, millet paste, or steamed fonio
Best route from here
Mali 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.
4 steps
55 min total
easy
2
Add liquid and protein
Add water or stock, dried fish, and hot pepper. Simmer to season the broth.
Simmer broth
15:00
3
Add leaves
Stir in fakoye leaves or powder. Cook until the sauce darkens and becomes silky.
Cook leaves
15:00
4
Finish texture
Add okra if using and simmer until the sauce is lightly thickened. Adjust salt.
Finish
10:00
Some versions use more okra for a thicker draw, while others add extra dried fish or chilli depending on the household.