Recipe
Plasas
A deeply savoury Sierra Leonean leafy stew of kale, red palm oil, tomatoes, peanut butter and tender fish, finished with chilli and ginger and served with rice.
Ingredients
Method
20 mins prep45 mins cook65 mins total
Blanch the kale in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and squeeze dry. Chop it again if the leaves are large.
Heat the palm oil and cook the onion for 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chilli, then cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and simmer for 8 minutes. Whisk the peanut butter into the water and add it to the pan.
Stir in the kale and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until thick and glossy.
Add the fish, cover and cook for 8 minutes until just cooked. Season and serve.
Notes
Use sturdy kale for the full simmer; if using spinach, stir it in during the final 10 minutes. Cut the fish into even pieces so it cooks gently without breaking apart.
About this recipe
Plasas is a hearty Sierra Leonean stew built around leafy greens cooked with onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, tomatoes and red palm oil. Peanut butter gives the sauce a rounded, savoury richness while the greens become tender and glossy.
Fish is added near the end so it stays in distinct, tender pieces rather than breaking down into the sauce. Serve the stew hot with plain rice or boiled root vegetables to catch the rich palm-oil and peanut sauce. The finished dish should be thick enough to hold its shape on the plate, with a gentle chilli warmth rather than overwhelming heat.
