Egusi stew (palava sauce)
Yield:
4-6 servings
Prep Time:
5 minutes
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
A delicious, one-of-a-kind West African meal that is nothing short of comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. ground egusi
- 1/3 c. palm oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tomatoes -or- 3/4 c. (1/2-14 oz. can) crushed tomatoes
- 1/3 red bell pepper (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-2 Tbsp. ground crayfish
- 1/2 habanero (optional)
- 1 1/2 c. smoked turkey, bite-size
- 5 oz. spinach, chopped small
- salt, to taste
- water or broth, as needed
Instructions
- Stir in ~1/4 c. of water and 1/4 tsp. salt to the ground egusi to form a semi-thick paste. Set aside.
- Heat palm oil over medium (4). Thinly chop half the onion, and fry in palm oil until soft, ~8 minutes, stirring often.
- In the meantime, blend the other half of the onion, along with the tomato, bell pepper, garlic, crayfish, and habanero, until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of water or broth at a time if not enough liquid to blend.
- Once onion is soft, add blended ingredients to pot. Let fry for 5 minutes, or until oil starts to rise to the top. If too thick, add water or stock to thin it out ~1 Tbsp. at a time.
- Add the egusi paste to the pot by the heaping spoonful, forming large “dumplings”. Cover, and reduce heat to 3.
- After ~4 minutes, gently stir the bottom, disturbing the egusi “dumplings“ as little as possible. Cover again, and let cook for another 4 minutes.
- Gently incorporate the meat, and cover again. Let cook another 4-5 minutes.
- Once done, add the spinach. Let cook until spinach wilts, ~2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
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