Pondu (cassava leaf stew)

Ingredients

• 1 kg pondu (ground cassava leaves), thawed if frozen
• 300 g smoked fish (such as catfish or mackerel), or dried salted fish
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 leek or a bunch of green onions, sliced
• ½ cup red palm oil
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper, left whole (optional)
• 1 seasoning cube
• About 4 cups water
• Salt
• Optional: 3 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter

Steps

1. Get the fish ready

   If you use salted fish, soak it in hot water for at least 30 minutes, then change the water once, to draw out the salt. Remove the skin and bones from the fish and break it into pieces.

2. Simmer the leaves

   Put the pondu in a large heavy pot with about 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour. Stir now and then and add a little water if it starts to stick.

3. Add the vegetables

   Stir in the onion, garlic, leek, eggplant and the whole pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes more.

4. Finish with palm oil and fish

   Add the palm oil, the fish and the crumbled cube. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring often, until the leaves are very soft and dark and the stew is thick. If you like it with peanut butter, loosen it in a little hot liquid from the pot and stir it in now.

5. Season and serve

   Take out the pepper. Taste before adding salt, especially with salted fish. Serve hot with fufu, rice, chikwangue or boiled plantain.

Tips

• Always cook cassava leaves all the way through, at least 2 hours in all. Never eat them raw or undercooked.
• Using dried cassava leaves instead? Soak them as the package says, then follow the same steps.
• Pondu keeps 3 days in the fridge and freezes well. It gets better as it sits.
• The version with peanut butter is often called pondu na mwamba.