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Cassava leaves
Cassava leaf: Sierra Leone's beloved stew of pounded cassava leaves, palm oil, beef and smoked fish
Cassava leaf is close to a national dish in Sierra Leone, simmered in big pots for Sunday lunch, weddings and Friday gatherings in Freetown and sold by the plateful in cookshops across the city. The leaves are pounded to a fine green mash, then cooked for a long time with red palm oil, beef, smoked fish and hot pepper until soft, dark and rich, with a smoky, almost spinach-like depth. It is always served over plenty of white rice. Frozen ground cassava leaves from African or Asian grocers save hours of pounding. Avoid cutting short the long simmer; cassava leaves must be thoroughly cooked to be safe and tender. Chef's tip: boil the leaves uncovered first, before anything else goes in; it drives off their raw, grassy bitterness and helps make them safe to eat.
- Total time
- 125 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb stewing beefcut into 3 cm pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 onionsone chopped, one sliced
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 2 ¼ lb ground cassava leavesfrozen and thawed; or fresh leaves pounded very finely
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 Scotch bonnet chilliespierced
- ½ cup red palm oil
- 9 oz smoked fishhot-smoked mackerel or African smoked catfish; bones and skin removed
- 3 tbsp smooth unsalted peanut butter (optional)
- cooked white rice (optional)to serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put the 1 ½ lb stewing beef in a pot with ¾ tsp salt, the chopped 1 onions and 1 litre of the 6 ¼ cups water. Bring to the boil, skim, cover and simmer for 50 minutes until nearly tender.
50 minStep 2: Meanwhile, put the 2 ¼ lb ground cassava leaves in a large pot with the remaining 500 ml water and boil uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring, until they darken and the smell of fresh-cut grass has gone.
20 minStep 3: Add the beef with all its stock, the sliced 1 onions, 3 garlic cloves, 2 Scotch bonnet chillies and ½ cup red palm oil. Simmer, partly covered, over a low heat for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the leaves are very soft and the oil rises to the top. Cassava leaves must cook for at least an hour in total; under-cooked leaves taste bitter and are not safe to eat.
45 minStep 4: Flake in the 9 oz smoked fish, stir in the 3 tbsp smooth unsalted peanut butter if using and the remaining salt, and simmer for 10 minutes more until the fish is heated through.
10 minStep 5: Lift out the chillies if you want it milder, taste for salt and serve over cooked white rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 48 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cassava leaves take?
- About 125 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 110 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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