Recipe
Pondu (Saka-Saka)
Slow-cooked cassava-leaf stew with palm oil, aromatics and smoked fish, served with a choice of rice, fufu or boiled plantain for a deeply savoury Central African meal.
Ingredients
Stew
To serve
Method
15 mins prep80 mins cook95 mins total
Heat the palm oil and cook the onion for 8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chilli and tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the cassava leaves and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 60 minutes, stirring regularly.
Remove the lid and continue cooking for 10 minutes until thick and mellow.
Fold in the smoked fish and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and serve with rice, fufu or boiled plantain.
Notes
Use only commercially prepared cassava leaves. The stew should be thick enough to mound softly on a plate.
About this recipe
Pondu, also called saka-saka, is a deeply savoury cassava-leaf stew from Central Africa. Prepared cassava leaves are cooked slowly with palm oil, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and tomato purée until tender and thick.
Smoked fish is folded in at the end so its flavour stays distinct while seasoning the stew. Serve it with rice, fufu or boiled plantain to soak up the rich sauce. Use commercially prepared cassava leaves and allow the pot to simmer gently, stirring regularly so the leaves cook evenly and the base does not catch. This makes a generous, comforting family meal.
