Isombe

Instructions

1. 1 If using fresh cassava leaves, wash them thoroughly and pound in a mortar until very finely shredded, almost a paste. Cassava leaves must be cooked thoroughly for at least thirty minutes to be safe to eat. Frozen pre-processed leaves save considerable time.
2. 2 Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the diced onion for five minutes until softened. Add the garlic and diced eggplant, cooking for five more minutes until the eggplant begins to soften and absorb the aromatic oil.
3. 3 Add the processed cassava leaves and one cup of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for thirty minutes, stirring every ten minutes. The leaves should become very tender and dark green.
4. 4 Dissolve the ground peanut paste in half a cup of warm water until smooth. Pour this into the pot with the cassava leaves and stir well to combine. Add the flaked dried fish if using. Cook for another fifteen minutes until the sauce thickens.
5. 5 Add the spinach during the last five minutes of cooking if using it to supplement the cassava leaves. Stir until wilted. Season with salt to taste. The finished isombe should be thick and creamy from the peanut paste with a deep green colour.
6. 6 Serve the isombe hot alongside steamed rice, boiled sweet potatoes, or ugali. This peanut-cassava leaf stew is one of Rwanda's most traditional dishes, rich in protein from the peanuts and packed with vitamins from the green leaves.