Dumboy is considered Liberia’s national dish. Cassava is one of the country’s main agricultural crops and it is used to make dumboy, although plantains and yams are also utilized. Essentially, this dish is boiled cassava which has been pounded into a viscous dough and shaped into balls. Dumboy is usually eaten with pepper soup.

Directions for Preparing Dumboy

For Dumboy

1. Peel the cassava roots with a sharp knife.
2. Cut the cassava into chunks and rinse in water.
3. In a large saucepan, boil the chunks of raw cassava in water for twenty (0:20) minutes.
4. Drain and allow the cassava to cool.
5. Slice the boiled cassava into smaller chunks.
6. Place the chunks of boiled cassava into a mortar and use a pestle to mash it into a sticky dough, occasionally moistening the pestle with water if necessary.
7. When the desired consistency is reached, mold the dough into balls and set them aside.

For Pepper Soup

1. Place the meat, onions, bay leaves, and peppers into a large Dutch oven pot.
2. Add the water to the pot, then season with a generous pinch of salt and crumbled bouillon cubes.
3. Bring the soup to a boil.
4. Cover the pot and allow it to simmer for about thirty (0:30) minutes until the meat is tender.
5. Add the shrimp to the soup.
6. Add the okras.
7. Stir the soup, then let it cook for ten (0:10) minutes on medium-high heat.
8. Let the soup simmer on low heat until it is ready to be served.
9. Serve the dumboy with hot pepper soup.

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