Recipe
Cassava Leaf Stew
A deeply savoury West African cassava leaf stew with tender white fish, red palm oil, tomatoes, chilli and peanut butter, gently simmered into a rich, comforting one-pot meal.
Ingredients
Method
20 mins prep75 mins cook95 mins total
Warm the red palm oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the diced onion and cook for 8 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic, ginger and red chilli for 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in the cassava leaves, vegetable stock and peanut butter.
Cover and simmer gently for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the cassava leaves are tender and the stew has thickened.
Season the white fish with the salt, nestle it into the stew and cover the pan. Cook for 8–10 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
Ladle the stew into bowls and serve with rice, boiled plantain or fufu.
Notes
Only use cassava leaves sold prepared for cooking; raw cassava leaves require specialist processing and must not be used as a shortcut.
About this recipe
This cassava leaf stew is a richly savoury West African one-pot meal, made practical with frozen cassava leaves prepared for cooking. Red palm oil, tomato, chilli, garlic and ginger build a fragrant base before the leaves simmer slowly with stock and peanut butter.
Tender white fish is added only at the end so it stays moist while the stew thickens around it. Serve it with rice, boiled plantain or fufu for a hearty meal, and always use cassava leaves that have already been safely prepared for cooking.
