Steamed White Fish (Congolese Liboke Ya Malangwa)

Liboké is an emblematic cooking method of the Congolese culinary culture. A liboké (plural: maboke), is the traditional mode of dish preparation in the basin of the Congo river, in particular in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It consists in wrapping ingredients in banana leaves, and cooking the dish in an oven, steamed, or directly on a grill.

6 filets pangasus or other white firm flesh fish, such as; cod, whiting, haddock, hake, halibut or pollock
1 cube chicken bouillon, crumbled
5 cloves garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 (2") piece fresh ginger, chopped
4 Tbsp. tomatoes, peeled and crushed
3 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 hot peppers
2 bay leaves
6 banana leaves

In a large dish, place the fish and rub the flesh with the crumbled bouillon cube.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, onions, nutmeg. Season with salt, pepper and mix well so the fish absorbs all the flavours.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator for 4 hours

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Wash and dry the banana leaves. To easily make the large wraps, use a large salad bowl.

Line the salad bowl with banana leaves. Overlapping so that there is no empty space. Allow the leaves to overflow on all sides of the bowl.

Place the marinated fish in the center, add the whole hot pepper, the bay leaf and close the banana leaf wrap by making a knot with food thread or toothpicks.

Place the wrapped fish in a large oven baking dish with the bottom filled with water so that the banana leaves do not dry out.

Bake for about 30 minutes in the oven. Serve with white rice.