I chose to make pondu on the insistence from my coworker who is originally from the DRC. She said it was much better than my original plan of bitekuteku. It seems bitekuteku uses amaranth leaves rather than the cassava leaves used in pondu. However, I ended up using spinach as a substitute anyway, so I'm not sure there would be much difference!
I started with a glug of palm oil mixed with olive oil--I still have not fully come around to the taste of red palm oil on its own.
I then sauteed onions and added in some from veggie ground beef to add a little more sustenance.
Once softened, I added habanero for some heat and the curry powder I use as the substitute for Maggi.
Then I added some peanut butter powder. I find the powder has a more peanut-heavy flavor without the sweetness of prepared peanut butter. The closest thing to grinding peanuts without having to grind them.
Then I added my spinach. Normally cassava leaves would be pounded into almost a paste-like consistency. Since I was using spinach, I simply cut up my leaves and "pounded" them in the pan as they were cooking to break them up some more and give it more of a smooth consistency.
I would compare the consistency it normally seems to take to maybe an Indian saag paneer or a pesto. Mine obviously did not achieve that consistency. I probably could have pulsed the spinach in the food processor to get it sort of similar, but I'm okay with how it turned out. It was flavorful and rich even though the ingredients are quite healthy.
I felt like I needed something else, something a little more decadent to go along with the greens, so I decided to fry up some plantains.
I had been pretty disappointed with the quality of plantains I had gotten from the supermarket the last few times I bought them--way too green and simply would not ripen even when left in a paper bag for two weeks. Luckily these plantains turned out next to perfect.
You can tell from the nice caramelized exterior on these that they were ripe enough--plantains lose some of their starchiness and gain their sweetness as they ripen, just like bananas. The sweetness of the the plantains combined with the greens was delicious, and I'd gladly eat this meal over and over again.
Recipes Used: Cassava Leaf Soup
Comments