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Palaver 'Sauce'
Palaver 'Sauce' is a traditional West African recipe for a classic stew of meat and greens in a sauce of palm oil, tomatoes and hot chillies thickened with egusi seeds and okra which is flavoured with dried, smoked, fish. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic West African version of: Palaver 'Sauce'.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
25 minutes
Total Time:
45 minutes
Serves:
6
Rating: 
Tags : Wild FoodChilli RecipesChicken RecipesFowl RecipesVegetable RecipesWest-africa Recipes
The word 'palaver' comes between the parley between European explorers and African natives. The word itself derives from the Portuguese language as
Portuguese explorers were the first to establish trade and colonies in
West Africa. The word later came into use in both English and French as
Britain and
France established colonies in
Africa. In
Ghana this dish is known as
Kontonmire,
Kentumere, or
Nkontommire and is named for the cocoyam (taro) greens traditionally used.
Ingredients:
120ml palm oil (or vegetable oil with a pinch of
paprika)
800g stewing meat or chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
beef stock
600g
bitterleaf (or kale, collard greens or turnip greens with a few
dandelion leaves to give the bitterness)
600g dried, salted or smoked fish
2 onions, finely chopped
5 ripe tomatoes, chopped and mashed
1 hot
chilli, chopped
salt, black pepper and
cayenne pepper, to taste
180g egusi seed, roasted and ground (or shelled pumpkin seeds, roasted and ground)
1 tbsp freshly-grated
ginger
1/2 tsp grated
nutmeg
10 okra, sliced
200g fresh prawns
100g cooked ham, chopped
Method:
If you are using bitterleaf, wash in cold water, rinse several times and allow to soak for at least 3 hours before chopping into pieces (this removes the worst of the bitterness). Soak the dried or salted fish in water for a few hours then cut into pieces, removing the skin and bones.
Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the meat until it is almost done before adding 400ml beef stock. Reduce the heat to as simmer then add the bitterleaf to the pot. Allow to cook for about 6 minutes then add the fish to the pot along with the onion, tomatoes, chilli, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cover the pot and allow to continue simmering.
When the greens seem tender (about 15 minutes) add all the remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the dish has a thick sauce-like consistency.
Serve with Banku, FuFu or boiled rice.
