Matapa is a traditional Mozambican recipe for a classic dish of cassava leaves and peanuts with prawns cooked in a chicken stock and coconut milk base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Mozambican version of: Matapa.
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Matapa is the Mozambican version of the cassava leaf stews found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. You can buy frozen cassava leaves in African supermarkets. If you cannot find it, substitute kale or collard greens, but reduce the cooking time to about 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
500g cassava leaves
2 coconuts, flesh finely grated
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250g raw peanuts
4 tbsp olive oil
250ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
30 king prawns, peeled
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the peeled prawns and cook for 5 minutes then drain and set aside.
Place the coconut flesh in a cloth and wring out to extract as much of their liquid as you can (freeze the spent coconut flesh to make cakes or candies).
Grind the peanuts to a powder in a food processor. Finely chop the cassava leaves then pound to a paste in a mortar.
Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 4 minutes. Stir in the cassava leaves and cook for 20 minutes. Now add the chicken or vegetable stock and the ground peanuts and prawns. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 hours.
Stir in the coconut milk, season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper and cook for a further 30 minutes.
