Holly Stuhr and David Mering of Christ Church in Norway portion out Muamba Chicken Stew in the commercial kitchen at the Alan Day Community Garden in Norway, which donated its facilities for the project.
(Photo courtesy of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine)
It started like this: As a way to help the frightened immigrant community during the ICE surge in January, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Brown, Episcopal Bishop of Maine, asked parishioners to deliver groceries to people who were too afraid to go out and shop themselves.
He got feedback. African parishioners said prepared food would be helpful, too. Any particular dish? Brown asked. Muamba chicken, the answer came back. The spicy stew has many variations. It’s considered the national dish of Angola and is also enjoyed by citizens of the nearby Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Muamba Chicken Stew (Photo by Patsy Beckett)
Brown found a recipe on the internet, which he emailed to Rev. Peter Swarr of Trinity Church in Portland. In turn, Swarr, who has long worked with Maine’s immigrant community, asked several local Angolans to give the recipe a look-see. They supplied the (charming) notes, which are starred with asterisks in the recipe below, and they agreed it was “the real deal,” according to Susan Sherrill Axelrod, director of communications and engagement at the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.
“It’s delicious,” Bishop Brown said after tasting the stew. “The palm oil, pepper and okra make it unique to some of our palates, but I loved it over rice and with a green salad.”
Church members volunteered to make vats of the spicy chicken, at home and in groups, for their central African neighbors around the state, and ultimately delivered nearly 500 batches to be distributed to families in Portland and Lewiston.
Churches as far-ranging as St. John’s in Bangor, Christ Church in Norway and St. John Baptist in Thomaston got in on the action. Even non-church members jumped in to help, Axelrod said.
Portland-based singer-songwriter Jim Sharkey read about their efforts in this paper and was inspired to memorialize the aid, the dish and the delivery in song.
Several weeks back, Axelrod heard from Rev. Sara Gavit, rector of St. Anne’s in Calais, whose church members had helped cook batches of the Muamba stew. Folks there “who don’t go for much spice love it so much we might serve it on Shrove Tuesday instead of pancakes!” she said.
Now you, too, can try it — on whatever holiday or ordinary day you like.
Muamba Chicken (Muamba de Galinha)
The recipe originated on the website Immaculate Bites. The Rt. Rev. Thomas Brown, who happened to be a home economics major in college, made a few adjustments and then it was distributed to parishioners to make it for their immigrant neighbors. The original instructions asked them to “place in aluminum casserole for packaging/delivery.”
FOR THE SEASONING
Chicken thighs, or 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
TO COOK THE CHICKEN
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup palm oil *
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Whole hot pepper, such as Scotch bonnet, pierced
2-3 onions, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks
18-20 okra, sliced in half **
Salt and pepper, to taste
To season the chicken, mix the pieces with the lemon juice in large bowl. Add the remaining seasoning ingredients and mix into the chicken until it is well-coated. Set aside to marinate for 30-45 minutes.
To cook the chicken, after at least 30 minutes, heat the oils in a large Dutch oven. When they are warm, add the seasoned chicken and brown it on both sides (don’t crowd the pan). Add the garlic, white pepper, smoked paprika and the pierced hot pepper. Stir.
Add the onions and tomatoes, and sauté until onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and the squash. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer and simmer until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked, 20-30 minutes.
Add the okra and cook about 5 minutes more. Remove the pierced pepper before serving the stew. Enjoy.
* Palm oil might be hard to find in some Maine grocery stores, but it’s sorta the star of the show.
* * Okra might be hard to find too; substitute canned or frozen green beans.
