Palaver Sauce

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 chili, 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

Directions

1. 1If you are using bitterleaf, wash in cold water, rinse several times
2. 2and allow to soak for at least 3 hours before chopping into pieces
3. 3(this removes the worst of the bitterness).
4. 4Soak the dried or salted
5. 5fish in water for a few hours then cut into pieces, removing the skin
6. 6and bones.
7. 7Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the meat until it is
8. 8almost done before adding 400ml beef stock. Reduce the heat to as
9. 9simmer then add the bitterleaf to the pot.
10. 10Allow to cook for about 6
11. 11minutes then add the fish to the pot along with the onion, tomatoes,
12. 12chilli, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Cover the pot and allow
13. 13to continue simmering.
14. 14When the greens seem tender (about 15 minutes) add all the remaining
15. 15ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the dish has a
16. 16thick sauce-like consistency.