Kizaka

Ingredients

Leaves

• 1 kgyoung cassava leaves, thick stalks and any yellow leaves removed
• 1 litrewater
• 1 tspfine salt

Stew

• 150 mlred palm oil
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 5garlic cloves, chopped
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 150 graw peanuts, roasted and pounded to a coarse paste, or 150 g unsweetened peanut butter
• 2jindungo chillies, whole
• 1.5 tspfine salt
• 300 mlwater

To serve

• 600 gfunge de bombo
• boiled sweet potato or plantain
• gindungo sauce

Directions

1. Wash the leaves in several changes of water and strip out every thick stalk and rib.
2. Pound the leaves in a large wooden mortar, in batches, until they are reduced to a dark green, fibrous mash. This is the step that gives kizaka its name and its texture; a food processor pulsed briefly is the modern shortcut.
3. Put the pounded leaves in a pot with the litre of water and the teaspoon of salt, bring to the boil and cook uncovered for 45 minutes at a steady simmer, topping up with hot water if it threatens to catch.
4. This long boil is essential and not just for tenderness: cassava leaves contain cyanogenic compounds that only prolonged pounding and open boiling drive off. Never serve them briefly wilted.
5. Meanwhile warm the palm oil in a wide pan over medium heat until it clears from orange to red, without smoking, and fry the onions 10 minutes until golden.
6. Add the garlic, then the tomatoes, and cook 8 minutes until the mixture thickens and the oil floats on top.
7. Slake the pounded peanuts with the 300 ml of water into a loose cream and stir it into the pan.
8. Drain the leaves, reserving a cupful of their liquid, and fold them into the peanut base with the whole chillies.
9. Simmer uncovered 30–35 minutes, stirring often and loosening with the reserved liquid, until the stew is thick, dark and glossy and the peanut has lost any raw taste.
10. Season, lift out the chillies and serve hot with funge, sweet potato and gindungo.

Technique

• Kizaka is the Angolan member of a family of pounded cassava-leaf dishes found across central Africa, from saka-saka to pondu; the pounding and the long open boil are shared by all of them for good reason.
• Cassava leaves are safe only when pounded thoroughly and boiled uncovered for at least 45 minutes, which lets the released compounds escape as vapour. Do not cover the pot for that stage and do not shorten it.
• The peanut goes in late. Boiled hard for an hour it splits and the oil separates into a greasy layer, so add it to the base once the leaves are already tender.
• Palm oil and peanut together should leave the finished stew dark and shining; if it looks dry, loosen it with the leaf water rather than plain water.

Substitutions

• Fresh cassava leaves are hard to find outside Africa. Frozen pounded cassava leaf, sold in African shops in 500 g blocks, is already prepared and needs only 25 minutes of boiling; sweet-potato leaves are the closest fresh substitute, though milder.
• Unsweetened peanut butter replaces the pounded nuts one for one; slake it with hot water first so it does not seize.

Variations

• Kizaka com ginguba, the peanut-rich version described here.
• A plainer everyday version with only palm oil, onion and salt.
• Kizaka stirred through with okra for a thicker, more slippery texture.

History

Cassava leaves pounded in a mortar and cooked long with palm oil and peanut, using the plant’s leaves as well as its root.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kizaka?

Kizaka is a salad & side from Angola: cassava leaves pounded and cooked with peanuts. Cassava leaves pounded in a mortar and cooked long with palm oil and peanut, using the plant’s leaves as well as its root.

How long does Kizaka take to make?

Kizaka takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kizaka?

Yes, within limits. Fresh cassava leaves are hard to find outside Africa. Frozen pounded cassava leaf, sold in African shops in 500 g blocks, is already prepared and needs only 25 minutes of boiling; sweet-potato leaves are the closest fresh substitute, though milder. Unsweetened peanut butter replaces the pounded nuts one for one; slake it with hot water first so it does not seize.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kizaka?

This long boil is essential and not just for tenderness: cassava leaves contain cyanogenic compounds that only prolonged pounding and open boiling drive off. Never serve them briefly wilted.