Odika comes from a type of wild mango that grows in the forests of Gabon.
It is made by breaking open the mango seed and removing the inner kernel. The kernel is then dried and dry-roasted.
In Gabon, it is traditionally crushed while still hot to preserve it.
The paste is placed in moulds and left to cool. You can then grate off what you need from the block of Odika.
This seed is already oil-rich, which is why we don’t add any additional oil. Odika goes by several different names: ‘nfiang ndo’o’ in Cameroun, ‘ndimba’ in the Congo, and ‘ogbono soup’ in Nigeria.
Some even call it ‘native chocolate’, except that odika only has the colour and smell of chocolate. Toasting the seeds is a very important step. If they are burned, you will taste them in the sauce, so it’s important to watch the intensity of the heat.
INGREDIENTS
• Smoked chicken
• Okra
• Odika seeds
• Red nokoss
• Salt and pepper
• Mild/sweet chilli
Preparation
1. Clean the chicken and cut it into pieces.
2. Top and tail the okra. Blanch the okra for five minutes in salted, boiling water. Drain and set aside.
3. Toast the Odika seeds in a hot, non-stick fry pan until they are nicely golden. Using a mortar, crush the hot seeds until they form a smooth, chocolate-coloured paste.
4. Brown the chicken pieces in the frying pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. Cook the Odika paste in the frying pan over medium heat for five minutes. Add the red nokoss and cook, stirring constantly, for five minutes.
6. Pour in 2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for 30 minutes.
7. Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the okra and whole chilli at the end.
