Finely shredded cassava leaves slow-cooked with dried shrimp, palm oil, and aromatics into a thick, intensely flavored green stew. A beloved everyday dish in the Republic of Congo.
Ingredients
1 kg cassava leaves, finely shredded
200g dried shrimp
3 tbsp palm oil
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 eggplant, cubed
1 bouillon cube
Instructions
1Wash cassava leaves thoroughly and pound or shred them very finely. Traditional preparation calls for pounding in a mortar until the leaves are almost paste-like.
2Boil the pounded cassava leaves in water for twenty minutes to remove bitterness. Drain and squeeze out excess water.
3Rehydrate dried shrimp in warm water for ten minutes. Heat palm oil in a large pot and saute diced onions and garlic until softened.
4Add the drained cassava leaves, dried shrimp, cubed eggplant, scotch bonnet pepper, and bouillon cube to the pot with two cups of fresh water.
5Cover and simmer on low heat for forty-five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are very tender and the stew is thick and dark green.
6Adjust salt and serve hot with fufu, chikwanga, or steamed white rice. The stew should be thick enough to scoop with fufu.
Did You Know?
Pondu is so central to Congolese identity that homesick Congolese abroad often say they miss the taste of pondu even more than they miss their hometown.