Chef-tested recipe
Kanda ti nyma are tender Central African Republic beef meatballs simmered in a rich groundnut-and-okra sauce, served here with smooth cassava gozo.
This from-scratch version keeps the dish’s defining structure clear: onion, garlic and chilli season the meatballs; freshly ground roasted peanuts enrich the sauce; sliced okra gives it body. The meatballs finish gently in the sauce so their juices become part of the final flavour.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 6 servings
- Prep Time
- 35 minutes
- Cook Time
- 55 minutes
- Resting Time
- 10 minutes
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Cuisine
- Central African Republic
- Course
- Main dish
- Cooking Method
- Grinding, shaping and simmering
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best Served With
- Cassava gozo, plain rice or boiled plantain
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Food processor or large mortar and pestlepaid link
- Wide heavy casserole with lidpaid link
- Heavy saucepanpaid link
- Sturdy wooden spoonpaid link
- Mixing bowl and traypaid link
- Chef’s knife and cutting boardpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
- Measuring jugpaid link
- Instant-read thermometerpaid link
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- Beef mince, preferably 15 to 20% fat — 900 g
- Onion — 120 g, very finely chopped
- Garlic — 15 g, finely grated
- Fresh red chilli — 10 g, finely chopped, or to taste
- Eggs — 2 large, about 100 g without shells
- Fine saltpaid link — 12 g
- Ground black pepper — 2 g
For the groundnut and okra sauce
- Roasted unsalted peanutspaid link — 180 g
- Warm water — 600 ml
- Groundnut oil or red palm oilpaid link — 30 ml
- Onion — 180 g, finely chopped
- Okra — 350 g, trimmed and sliced into 1 cm rounds
- Fresh red chilli — 5 g, finely chopped, optional
- Fine saltpaid link — 6 g, plus more to taste
- Hot water — up to 250 ml, as needed
For the cassava gozo
- Fine cassava flourpaid link — 350 g
- Water — 900 ml
- Fine saltpaid link — 3 g, optional
Preparation Overview
Grind the roasted peanuts in a food processor until they become a smooth paste, scraping the bowl as needed. Blend or whisk the paste with 600 ml warm water until evenly dispersed. Chop the onion for the meatballs especially fine so it softens during cooking.
Method
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Combine the beef, 120 g onion, garlic, chilli, eggs, 12 g salt and black pepper. Mix only until evenly combined, then rest for 10 minutes.
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With damp hands, shape the mixture into 24 meatballs of about 45 g each. Keep them in a single layer on a tray.
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Heat the groundnut or palm oil in a wide heavy casserole over medium heat. Add the 180 g onion and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until soft but not deeply browned.
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Add the okra and optional chilli. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently, then pour in the groundnut mixture and add 6 g salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.
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Nestle the meatballs into the sauce in a single layer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes without vigorous stirring, which could break them.
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Turn the meatballs carefully. Simmer uncovered for another 12 to 15 minutes, adding hot water as needed to keep a spoon-coating sauce. The meatballs should reach at least 75°C at the centre.
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For the gozo, bring 700 ml of the water and the optional salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Whisk 80 g cassava flour with the remaining 200 ml cool water, then whisk this slurry into the boiling water.
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Reduce the heat and add the remaining cassava flour gradually, beating firmly with a wooden spoon. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning and folding until smooth, thick and pulling from the sides of the pan.
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Taste the sauce for salt. Rest it for 5 minutes off the heat, then serve the meatballs and okra sauce with warm gozo.
Beginner Technique Notes
- Use beef with some fat; very lean mince can make the meatballs dry.
- Mix and shape gently. Overworking the meat compacts the texture.
- Groundnut sauce thickens quickly as it simmers, so loosen it with hot water rather than increasing the heat.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to verify the centre of a meatball reaches at least 75°C.
Tips and Variations
- If a food processor is unavailable, pound the roasted peanuts in a mortar until they release their oils and form a paste.
- For milder heat, remove the chilli seeds or omit the second chilli from the sauce.
- Plain rice or boiled plantain can replace gozo while keeping the groundnut-and-okra sauce unchanged.
Serving Ideas
- Place a warm mound of cassava gozo beside four meatballs and spoon over plenty of okra and groundnut sauce. Serve family-style so diners can take more sauce as they eat.
Storage
Cool the meatballs and sauce promptly and refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat gently until bubbling and the meatballs are steaming hot throughout. Refrigerate gozo for up to 2 days and reheat with a little water.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains peanuts and eggs. Do not serve this dish to anyone with a peanut allergy. Check the cassava flour and seasonings for cross-contact when relevant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What distinguishes kanda ti nyma from other kanda?
Kanda ti nyma centres on beef meatballs cooked with peanuts and okra. Other Central African kanda recipes may instead combine the meat with ground pumpkin seeds and simmer it in a tomato-based sauce.
Can I use smooth peanut butter?
Freshly ground roasted peanuts give the cleanest from-scratch flavour. If necessary, use unsweetened peanut butter made only from peanuts and adjust the water until the sauce is fluid enough to simmer.
Why did my meatballs break?
The sauce may have boiled too hard or the meatballs may have been moved too soon. Keep the first simmer gentle and covered, then turn them only after the outside has set.
