Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Mataba
Pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked in coconut milk with fish, a fragrant green stew that is Comoros' national dish.
Comorian · medium · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 45 min
~515 cal · 16g protein · 54g carbs · 27g fat · 5g fiber · 7g sugars · 22g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Mataba is the national dish of the Comoros, the fragrant archipelago in the Mozambique Channel where African, Arab, and island flavors meet. It is made from leaves, pounded fine in a mortar and cooked long and slow until their raw sharpness gives way to a silky, deep-green richness.
The islands' abundant is what transforms it, lending body and a gentle sweetness, while flakes of fish and a little onion and garlic round it into a complete meal. leaves must be cooked thoroughly, and mataba rewards patience with a texture like a lush, savory purée. Served with rice, it is comforting, everyday food that tastes wholly of the Comoros.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 lb leaves (or spinach), finely chopped
1/2 lb fish fillet, in chunks
1 can (14 oz)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 hot chili ( or habanero), minced
Instructions
1
Pound or finely chop the cassava leaves as fine as you can; they must be well broken down and thoroughly cooked.
✎ Chef’s note
Cassava leaves have to be cooked fully, so never shortcut the simmer, and never taste them raw.
2
Simmer the leaves in water with the onion, garlic, and chili until soft, about 25 minutes.
3
Add the coconut milk and the fish and simmer gently until the fish is cooked and the stew turns silky, about 15 minutes.
4
Season with salt and serve with rice.
Comorian home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Moroni. The sauce is the surprising part. Langouste a la vanille is finished with white wine, shallots, butter and cream, a straightforwardly French technique in an Indian Ocean Muslim archipelago, and the vanilla comes from vines the French planted here in the 1890s.
🗺️
Comoros. The export list and the shopping list barely overlap. The Comoros is the world's leading producer of ylang-ylang essence and the second largest producer of vanilla after Madagascar, and cloves dominate its earnings, but rice, the everyday staple, is mostly imported. Cassava, bananas and coconut are what actually grows for the table.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Comoros
Langouste à la VanilleSpiny lobster gently cooked in a fragrant sauce of vanilla, cream, and lime, the Comoros on a plate.
Mkatra FoutraSoft coconut-scented griddle breads from the Comoros, torn and eaten with tea or curry.
LaduToasted ground rice cooked in ghee and bound with sugar, cardamom, and a note of black pepper into fragrant sweet balls, a Comorian teatime treat.
Browse all Comoros recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Comoros meal
Café Épicé (Comorian Spiced Coffee)Drink
LaduDessert
Langouste à la VanilleDinner
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Mataba?
Pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked in coconut milk with fish, a fragrant green stew that is Comoros' national dish.
Where does Mataba come from?
Mataba is a Comorian dish from Moroni, Comoros.
Can Mataba be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Mataba recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Mataba safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Mataba take to make?
About 65 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 45 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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