Mallow Leaf Stew II is a modern African Fusion recipe for the use of partially-dried common mallow leaves in a chicken and beef stew. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic African Fusion dish of: Mallow Leaf Stew II.
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The idea for this stew came to me when I saw my wife preparing sweet potato greens in West Africa. The greens are picked and allowed to slightly dry in the sun before being very finely shredded. The leaves have a delicious taste and are slightly mucilaginous. As a result they thicken the stew as it's made.
Always on the look-out for new ways to prepare European greens I tried to find an equivalent. Common mallow leaves work very well in this respect and though they have only a mild taste when young and at their best, they do have a mucilaginous quality and this is what I was looking for.
Ingredients:
1.2kg chicken, cut into serving-sized pieces
450g stewing beef, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
800g young Common Mallow leaves
salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, to to taste
60g peanut butter
1/4 tsp baking powder
groundnut oil for frying
Method:
If it's sunny set the leaves out on a windowsill to dry for 1 day. Otherwise place in an oven pre-heated to 50°C for about 2 hours. The following day remove and tough stalks from the leaves then split in half lengthways. Make large mounds of leaves by stacking one on top of another then shred as finely as you can across the leaf. This will give you lots of finely shredded leaves. Set these aside, as you prepare the main stew.
Heat about 150ml oil in a large pot and cook the meat in this for a few minutes. Add the chillies, onions, ginger and some 450ml water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the greens and tomatoes at this stage, season with the cayenne pepper, salt and baking soda then cover the pot and cook until tender (about 20 minutes).
Take a ladle of the cooking liquid and add to the peanut butter. Mix until smooth then add back to the stew. Allow the mixture to simmer for ten minutes more so that the stock thickens, adjust the seasonings and serve on a bed of rice.
