Palaver sauce
.jpg) Ghanaian palaver sauce | |
| Alternative names | Palava sauce |
|---|---|
| Type | Stew |
Palaver sauce or palava sauce or plasas is a type of stew widely eaten in West Africa, including Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone[1][2] The word palaver comes from the Portuguese language and means a talk, lengthy debate or quarrel. It is unclear how this led to the name of the stew.[3] One theory is that the spices used in the stew mingle together like raised voices in an argument.[1] It has been thought of as having the power to calm tensions, or to cause them.[2] Other names for the dish include kontonmire, kentumere, nkontommire and pla'sas.[1][3][4]
It has regional variations and can contain beef, fish, shrimp, pepitas, cassava, taro (cocoyam) leaves, and palm oil. It is served with boiled rice, potatoes, garri, fufu or yams.[1][2] Outside of Africa, spinach is often used as a substitute for other greens.[3] The leaves used to make this soup in Liberia are called molokhia or mulukhiyah leaves.
The name "palava sauce" is said to originate from the people of Elmina.[5][6]
Ghana
[edit]
Kontomire stew is a stew made from cocoyam leaves (known in the Akan language as "kontomire"), commonly prepared in the home and very popular in Ghanaian cuisine.[7] In Ghana, kontomire stew is served with variety of dishes,[8][9] including steamed rice, cooked yam and plantain.[10]
Recipe
[edit]The meat is first cut into small pieces and is fried in palm oil in a pan, and to the pan is added onion, pepper and chilli. Next is added the fish, dried or smoked, previously moistened and cut in chunks. The vegetables are sliced and incorporated into the cooking pan (spinach leaves or bean leaves, cabbage, kale, okra), and finally water is poured to help in the cooking and spices for seasoning. The mixture is kept on a low fire until all the ingredients are cooked and the water has reduced. It may be served with white rice.
In Ghana, the stew consists primarily of:
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Osseo-Asare, Fran (2005). Food Culture In Sub-saharan Africa. Greenwood Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-313-32488-3.
- ^ a b c Ogunyemi, Chikwenye Okonjo (1996). Africa Wo/man Palava: The Nigerian Novel by Women. University of Chicago Press. p. 100. ISBN 0-226-62085-9.
- ^ a b c "Palaver 'Sauce'". Ghana.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
- ^ "Sauce/Stew". Ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
- ^ Gracia, Zindzy (2018-01-31). "How to Prepare Kontomire Stew in Ghana". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- ^ "How to prepare kontomire stew/palava sauce the Ghanaian way". www.pulse.com.gh. 2015-11-19. Archived from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- ^ "How to prepare 'Kontomire' stew and boiled yam". www.pulse.com.gh. 2016-05-28. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- ^ "Kontomire Stew - ghanagrio.com". www.ghanagrio.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- ^ Elikplim, Eriq (2018-02-26). "How to Prepare Ampesi and Kontomire Stew". Swiftfoxx. Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- ^ "Kontomire with smoked salmon and melon seeds (Palava sauce)". biscuits and ladles. 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
External links
[edit]- Video how to prepare kontomire stew [1]
