Plasas — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A rich stew of pounded cassava leaves or spinach simmered with palm oil, smoked fish, and ground crayfish, served with rice or findi.

Ingredients

1kg cassava leaves or spinach, finely chopped
300g smoked fish, flaked
1 cup palm oil
200g ground crayfish
2 large onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Scotch bonnet peppers
2 Maggi cubes
Salt to taste
3 cups water

Instructions

1 If using cassava leaves, pound them in a mortar until very fine. If using spinach, chop finely.
2 Heat palm oil in a large pot. Saute onions and garlic until fragrant and translucent.
3 Add ground crayfish and stir for two minutes to release flavor.
4 Add the chopped leaves and stir to coat with oil. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
5 Add smoked fish, Maggi cubes, and whole Scotch bonnet peppers. Reduce heat and simmer.
6 Cook for forty-five minutes until leaves are very tender and the stew has thickened. Serve with rice or findi.

Did You Know?

In The Gambia, the quality of a cook is often judged by how smooth and rich their plasas is, with the best versions requiring hours of patient stirring.