Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Krain Krain
Chopped jute leaves stewed with red palm oil and smoked fish into a savory green sauce, served over rice.
Sierra Leonean · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 30 min
~494 cal · 18g protein · 63g carbs · 18g fat · 2g fiber · 2g sugars · 3g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Krain krain (also called crain crain) is a favorite green sauce of Sierra Leone, made from the leaves of the jute plant, the same greens known as ewedu in Nigeria and molokhia across North Africa. Chopped fine and cooked, the leaves take on a slightly slippery texture that Sierra Leoneans love with their rice.
The leaves are stewed with red , onion, and hot pepper, and enriched with smoked and dried fish for savory depth. The result is a thick, dark-green sauce, glossy from the and full of flavor, ladled over a plate of steaming rice. Nourishing and everyday, krain krain is home cooking at its most comforting in Freetown and beyond.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- 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 jute leaves (krain krain), finely chopped
1/2 lb smoked and dried fish, flaked
1/4 cup red
1 onion, chopped
1 hot pepper, minced
to taste salt
4 cups cooked rice, to serve
Instructions
1
Warm the palm oil and soften the onion and hot pepper.
2
Add the chopped jute leaves and a cup of water and simmer until they collapse into a soft, glossy sauce, about 15 minutes.
3
Stir in the smoked fish and cook a few minutes more to meld the flavors.
✎ Chef’s note
Let the palm oil warm gently and never smoke it, so its fruity flavor stays intact.
4
Season with salt and serve over rice or foofoo.
✎ Chef’s note
For a more slippery plasas, the way many Sierra Leoneans prefer it, add the leaves before the palm oil rather than after.
Sierra Leonean home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Freetown. Cassava leaf here is distinct from its neighbours: groundnut paste goes in alongside the palm oil, which makes it thicker and richer. The same dish runs across the region under other names, plasas or palava sauce nearby and saka saka or pondu in the Congos, so it is a national dish rather than an invention.
🗺️
Sierra Leone. Cassava leaf is Sierra Leone's national dish but not its invention: the same preparation runs across the region as plasas, palava sauce, saka saka and pondu. What marks the local version is groundnut paste going in alongside the palm oil, and leaves pounded fine enough that the stew turns almost smooth.
🌍
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 Sierra Leone
Cassava Leaf StewFinely pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked with palm oil, beef, and smoked fish over rice.
Sierra Leonean Fry FryA plate of assorted fried things with a peppery gravy to dip them in, the Freetown street breakfast.
Benne CakesToasted sesame seeds set in crisp caramel, a simple, ancient West African sweet from Sierra Leone.
Browse all Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone meal
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Frequently asked questions
What is Krain Krain?
Chopped jute leaves stewed with red palm oil and smoked fish into a savory green sauce, served over rice.
Where does Krain Krain come from?
Krain Krain is a Sierra Leonean dish from Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Can Krain Krain be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Krain Krain 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 Krain Krain 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 Krain Krain take to make?
About 45 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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