Madagascar’s national broth: zebu beef and mixed leafy greens with ginger and tomato, ladled over rice.

Where does Romazava come from?

Romazava is a Malagasy dish from Analamanga (Antananarivo), Madagascar.

Can Romazava be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Romazava recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Romazava take to make?

About 75 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Romazava — a Analamanga (Antananarivo), Madagascar recipe

Name: Romazava
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malagasy
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs beef chuck (zebu, traditionally), cubed; 6 cups mixed leafy greens (watercress, spinach, mustard greens); 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1 onion, sliced; 2 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned; 3 cloves garlic, sliced; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 4 cups jasmine rice, cooked

Africa → 🇲🇬 Madagascar → Analamanga (Antananarivo)

Romazava

Malagasy · easy · serves 4

prep 15 min · cook 60 min

~1341 cal · 71g protein · 184g carbs · 35g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Clear beef and greens broth over rice in a deep bowl

🇲🇬 Analamanga (Antananarivo)

Romazava was one of the royal dishes of the Merina court and remains Madagascar’s daily answer to dinner — a clear, gingery stew whose signature is brèdes mafana, the "electric" leaf that tingles on the tongue. Watercress and spinach carry it faithfully elsewhere.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

•

1.5 lbs beef chuck (zebu, traditionally), cubed

•

6 cups mixed leafy greens (watercress, spinach, mustard greens)

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2 tomatoes, chopped

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1 onion, sliced

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2 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned

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3 cloves garlic, sliced

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2 tbsp neutral oil

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4 cups jasmine rice, cooked

Instructions

1

Brown the beef (or mushrooms and beans) in oil with the onion.

2

Add ginger, garlic, and tomatoes; cook 5 minutes.

3

Cover with 6 cups water, salt, and simmer 45 minutes until the meat is tender (15 minutes for the plant version).

4

Stir in the greens in handfuls and simmer 10 minutes more — the broth should stay light and clear.

5

Serve generously over rice, broth and all. Malagasy tables add a spoonful of hot sakay chili paste.

Antananarivo highlands tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Analamanga (Antananarivo). Highland home of romazava, the broth of the Merina kings.

🗺️

Madagascar. An island apart — African, Asian, and wholly its own.

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Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →