Thumpy Rose Delicious Leafy Stew
Cassava leaves, otherwise called “pondu” or “saka saka” are a mainstay ingredient in vegetarian African food. You will find these West African foods as delicacies in countries like Liberia, Cameroon, Congo, and Sierra Leone. Cassava leaves stew, the vegetable forms building healthy habits of many people on the African continent. It delivers double benefit in the form of its edible roots as well as leaves, usually pairing with country beans for a high protein no-meat meal. Are you interested to peek into ‘the road less travelled’ via African foods? Sign-up to be notified monthly about traditional recipes & African Lifestyle content.
Video Tutorial
Cassava Leaves Stew Benefits
Did you know cassava leaves makes an awesome stew? Yeah, these leaves are not solely for goat, humans can eat it too. You must be well aware of this fact if you grew up in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, or even Congo. Cassava leaves stew especially paired with bush beans is the kind of stew you need if you like a gluten-free diet. For added fatty content, I used avocado oil to let my red oil stash rest. While beans add protein , the cassava leaves supply vitamin C and B and their plant-proteins. Want to try authentic west African foods, you need this stew in your life.
Recommend: Mixy Boxa-Palm Butter Cassava Leaves
Country beans add protein to no-meat dish
Cassava leaves are common ingredients in vegetarian African food, just like the edible cassava roots. However cassava leaves often pack a more cherished West African foods than the roots. This is because the leaves have a greater content of carbohydrates, and more calories per acre of the crop relative to cereal grain crops. In addition, the cassava leaves’ stew benefits also comes from its rich roughage and thiamine. Interestingly, properly cooked or sundried cassava leaves pack with country beans, adds up to 25% protein.
Related: What is Fever Leaf or Scent Leaf or Nchanwu Leaves?
When sourcing this vegetable from your local market or store, it is best to choose the relatively younger cassava leaves. The reason for this is that the veins of older leaves often tend to harden with age, thus lessening your cassava leaves’ stew benefits. This West African food comes together when left to simmer for over an hour because its flavors unravel gradually with time. Patience is needed to bring the rather tough bush beans to softness, eventually reaping the benefits of a truly high protein vegetarian meal when you use country beans.
Building healthy habits with Cassava Leaves
Cassava leaves accompanied with country beans or okra serve as a high protein vegetarian meal, which is highly beneficial to the consumer. Indeed, adopting these West African foods in building healthy habits will go a long way to keep you nutritionally balanced and strong. To fully take advantage of cassava leaves’ stew benefits, it is better to first dry the leaves prior to cooking or grind the raw leaves into puree. This enhances the thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and Vitamin C in the vegetable.
Furthermore. Cassava leaves can enrich building healthy habits with the starch that helps in digestion. The cassava leaves starch does this by nourishing the beneficial gut bacteria, thus benefiting you. Interestingly, raw cassava leaves contain high amounts of toxic hydrocyanic acid. However, boiling or cooking cassava leaves solves that poisonous aspect, explaining why it is a main feature in vegetarian African food. This also explains why Africans prefer hot cooked meals instead of raw foods.
Better yet, cassava leaves stew benefit extends to expectant mothers, providing sufficient amounts of iron that help keep anemia at bay. In the same token, cassava leaves supply the consumer with high amounts of magnesium. These minerals are key guards against such rheumatic diseases as arthritis.
A’las
Cassava leaves stew is flavorful and a great source of nutrients, clearly this is why it is a staple West African food. Following vegetarian African food for cassava leaves with country beans results in a starchy and high protein vegetarian meal. Start building healthy habits by taking advantage of cassava leaves stew benefits today. Curious about a no-animal-meat food lifestyle? Peep instagram to see what I eat live.
Nice Cassava Leaves Stew
You have not lived until you have good food and this is one of them. Sweet cassava leaves it is not for goat alone. West Africans learned how to perfect this stew which has abundant nutritional benefits.
Ingredients
- Half cup water
- 32oz veggie broth
- 24oz ground cassava leaf
- half cup grapeseed oil
- 1 Onion
- 1 habanero ( or pepper flakes OPTIONAL)
- 14oz1/4 cup peanut butter
- 12oz Wheat Protein
- 1.5 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- To prepare this West African stew, you first need to place a deep cooking pan on medium heat.
- Next, pour in your cooking pot 32 oz of vegetable broth.
- Then carefully unwrap your ground cassava leaves (thaw if frozen) and add 24 0z ground cassava leaves to the veggie broth. IF you do not have vegetable broth, simple use 32 ounce of water and 1 teaspoon of pink salt. Omit this step if you have vegetable broth.
- After adding your vege broth which is already salty, proceed to add in a half a cup of water. Next, turn stove heat from medium to high. Do not cover the pot, the cassava leaves will boil over and most of it will spill. Next, add diced onion and stir to combine. Boil uncover for 15miniutes.
- At this stage, add in 1 and a quarter tablespoons of smooth peanut butter and stir further. This adds fragrance and more softness to the stew. Continue boiling.
- Thereafter, add 1.5 tablespoons of habanero pepper, this is optional. You may add black pepper or dried pepper flakes if fresh pepper is too spicy.
- To taste, go ahead and add 1.5 teaspoon of salt and stir.
- To your boiling stew, add 12 oz of homemade wheat protein and stir. You may use fried tofu or lima beans if you don't have wheat gluten.
- At this point, partially cover the pot, leaving big gap for steam to escape. Boil for 30 mins on medium heat and check often, stirring from the bottom of the pot.
- Taste and season as desire but do not add more peanut butter for it will create imbalance. Next, add in 17oz of cooked bush beans and stir to fully combine. If you don't have Liberian country beans, simply add large lima beans.
- After 30mins of boiling or after the stew thickens, reduce the heat to low and proceed to add in a half a cup of grapeseed oil (highly recommend avocado oil); stir to fully combine.
- Allow the oily soup to simmer for 5 mins and taste for salt. Turn off your heat and remove the pot from the hot stove. Let it rest for 15mins for the flavors to blend. Once it is cool, serve with rice, bread or couscous.
Notes
Cassava leaves stew has lots of benefits. This Traditional West African food is healthy as it is high in protein. It is one of the popular vegetarian meals.
Just curious about why the oil is added at the end? Is this for a health reason, or traditional style only? I am making greens today similar, using the pumpkin leaves from my yard.
The oil is added at the end for traditional style and that is how I was taught to cook this stew from childhood. Also, for health reasons, I’d still add any oil (red oil, avocado, grapeseed, or olive oil) at the end because the end of the meal is cooked on low heat. Africans know when the oil burns it not consider good so most oils are added at the end. Good question.