~352 cal · 6g protein · 46g carbs · 15g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Thick dark-green cassava leaf stew with meat over white rice
🇸🇱 Freetown
Cassava leaf is arguably the national dish of Sierra Leone, cooked in nearly every Freetown home on Sunday. The leaves are pounded to a fine green, then simmered long and low with red palm oil, beef, and smoked fish until they turn thick, rich, and deeply savory over a mound of rice.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 6 —
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1.5 lb cassava leaves (or frozen), finely pounded
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1 lb + 4 oz beef and smoked fish
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1/3 cup red palm oil
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1 onion
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4 cloves garlic
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1 scotch bonnet
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1 Maggi cube
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to taste salt
Instructions
1
Simmer the pounded cassava leaves in water for 30 minutes to soften and mellow.
2
Brown the beef (or jackfruit) with the onion and garlic, then add the smoked fish (or tofu).
3
Stir in the red palm oil, scotch bonnet, and Maggi and cook until the oil rises.
4
Add the cassava leaves and simmer gently 30–40 minutes until thick and unified.
5
Season and serve over plenty of white rice.
Freetown Sunday tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Freetown. A hilly Atlantic capital raised on rice and cassava leaf.
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Sierra Leone. Atlantic rainforest country built on rice and cassava leaf.
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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 →
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