A slow-cooked, deeply savory sauce of pounded cassava leaves enriched with palm oil, ground peanuts, and smoked fish, producing a thick green stew that is Guinea's national comfort dish.
Ingredients
1kg cassava leaves, finely pounded
200g smoked fish, deboned
1 cup groundnut paste
1/3 cup palm oil
2 onions, chopped
3 scotch bonnet peppers
2 bouillon cubes
Salt to taste
1L water
Instructions
1Pound cassava leaves in a mortar until very fine, or use pre-ground frozen leaves.
2Boil pounded leaves in salted water for 30 minutes to reduce bitterness.
3In a separate pot, heat palm oil and sauté onions until golden.
4Add groundnut paste and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant.
5Combine with cassava leaves, add smoked fish, peppers, and bouillon cubes.
6Simmer on low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until thick and dark green.
Did You Know?
Pounding cassava leaves by hand is considered a rite of passage for young Guinean women, and the rhythmic sound of the mortar is the soundtrack of village mornings.