Ingredients
Leaves
- 1 kgcassava leaves, fresh or frozen pounded
- water, for boiling
To cook
- 200 mlred palm oil
- 1onion, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, chopped
- 150 ggroundnut paste, unsweetened
- 300 gsmoked fish, flaked
- 1stock cube
- 1chilli, whole
- salt to taste
- 1 litrewater
To serve
- boiled cassava or plantain
- rice
- or fufu
Directions
- Pick the young tender leaves off the stems. Discard any tough or yellowed leaves. Wash them thoroughly in several changes of water. Now they must be pounded thoroughly.
- Pound them until they are broken down completely. There should be no whole leaves left at all. Put the pounded leaves in a large pot. Cover them with plenty of water. Bring it to a boil with the lid off.
- Leave the lid off for the whole cooking time. Boil them steadily for at least an hour. Two hours is safer and gives a better texture. Top up with hot water as it reduces. The leaves should never sit dry in the pot. Drain them and discard the cooking water. Heat the palm oil in a large pot. Do not let it smoke, which makes it acrid.
- Fry the onion until it is soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the boiled drained leaves to the pot. Stir them through the oil thoroughly. Fry them for about five minutes. Loosen the groundnut paste with hot water.
- Work it into a smooth thin cream first. Stir it into the pot with the litre of water. Add the flaked smoked fish to it. Check the fish carefully for bones.
- Add the stock cube and the whole chilli. Simmer everything for another thirty minutes. Stir it once every ten minutes. The stew should thicken and darken further. Oil should rise to the surface at the end.
- Taste it and adjust the salt again. Serving it is always done hot. Ladle it into a communal bowl. Serve boiled cassava or plantain alongside. It keeps for three days refrigerated.
Technique
- Cassava leaf stews are eaten across Central and West Africa under many names, including pondu and saka saka in the Congo and mpondu elsewhere.
- The pounding and long open boiling are common to all of them and are what make the leaves safe.
Substitutions
- Frozen pounded cassava leaf is the practical option outside Africa and needs only the boiling.
- Smoked mackerel stands in well for African smoked fish.
Variations
- Some households add smoked meat alongside the fish.
- A version with more groundnut is richer and thicker.
- Egusi, ground melon seed, replaces the groundnut in some recipes.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kwem?
Kwem is a soup & stew from Cameroon: pounded cassava leaves simmered slowly with palm oil, groundnut and smoked fish.
How long does Kwem take to make?
Kwem takes 45 minutes of preparation and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Kwem?
Yes, within limits. Frozen pounded cassava leaf is the practical option outside Africa and needs only the boiling. Smoked mackerel stands in well for African smoked fish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kwem?
Pick the young tender leaves off the stems. Discard any tough or yellowed leaves. Wash them thoroughly in several changes of water. Now they must be pounded thoroughly.
