Isombe — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Pounded cassava leaves simmered with palm oil, onions, and ground peanuts until they break down into a thick, earthy green stew with rich nutty undertones.

Ingredients

1 kg fresh cassava leaves or 500g frozen
1/2 cup palm oil
2 large onions, diced
1/2 cup ground peanuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
1 hot chili pepper, minced

Instructions

1 If using fresh cassava leaves, wash thoroughly and pound in a mortar until finely broken down into a green paste. Frozen leaves should be thawed and chopped finely.
2 Heat palm oil in a heavy pot over medium heat, add diced onions and cook for eight minutes until soft and translucent.
3 Add garlic, tomatoes, and chili pepper, cook for five minutes until tomatoes have collapsed into a sauce.
4 Add the pounded cassava leaves and water, stir thoroughly to combine with the aromatics and oil.
5 Stir in ground peanuts, cover, and simmer on low heat for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes to prevent sticking.
6 The stew is ready when the leaves are completely tender, dark green, and the sauce has thickened with the peanut paste. Season with salt and serve over ubugari.

Did You Know?

Preparing isombe is a communal activity where women gather to pound cassava leaves together, turning the laborious task into a social event with singing.