Cassava leaf soup also known as saka saka or pondu is a simple, yet tasty and substantial soup that is widely consumed in many parts of Central Africa especially in countries like Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
In the French speaking parts of Cameroon, it is disguised as Nwem – a more rustic version of this dish sometimes made with fresh corn, palm oil, with or without salt (Kwem sans sel).
Growing up I particularly disliked, kwem, was just not appealing to me, especially the salt less version. When I first tasted this Sierra Leone version from my wonderful sister in law, Mary. It was amazingly good –the inclusion of dried shrimp, meat and groundnut paste appealed to all my senses.
This exotic, cassava leaf soup is not actually a soup but sort of a stew. Can be prepared with any meat or fish. Most African countries use dry fish (smoked fish) in their soups for added flavor. I substitute smoked chicken in this recipe because that is what is readily available in my neck of the woods. Another good substitute is smoked turkey.
Cassava leaf is available ground and frozen in most African, Pilipino stores, if you are leaving abroad and want to purchase it .A good substitute would be – chopped spinach, you would have to blend it in a food processor for a fine consistency that is so distinctive of this soup.
Serve over white rice.
Enjoy
Cassava Leaf Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds frozen cassava leaves
- 1 pound beef cut in bite size pieces
- ½ pound smoked chicken,turkey, fish
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ½ - 1 cup palm oil I used ½ palm oil and half canola oil
- 1/2 cup ground cray fish dried shrimps
- 4-5 tablespoon ground groundnuts peanut butter puree
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon or Maggie powder
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1/2 - 1 pound shrimp optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, season meat with salt, Maggi and onions and boil until tender, depending on the choice of meat. You should have at least 1-2 cups of stock. Remove the meat and beef stock, reserve
- Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat , add onions and crayfish l, sauté until fragrant about 1-2 minutes. Add beef and or / smoked meat .
- Stir in peanut butter or groundnut paste, then add stock about a cup cook for another 5 minutes.
- Throw in the drained cassava leaves and continue cooking for about 25 more minutes.
- Finally if using shrimp add shrimp - cook until shrimp turns pink about 3-5 minutes.
- Adjust seasonings (Maggie, salt, soup consistency with water and oil) to taste
- Serve warm over rice
Tips & Notes:
- Can be prepared with any meat or fish. Most African countries use dry fish (smoked fish) in their soups for added flavor.
- If you can't find cassava leaves, a good substitute would be chopped spinach. You would have to blend it in a food processor for a fine consistency that is so distinctive of this soup.
Nutrition Information:
Ayomipo says
We the Yoruba of Nigeria call this Torogongo, we typically cook it with Bush meat and palm fruit stock. However I doubt most persons my age know anything about it as it is typically the grandma’s soup you eat when you visit in the village. I will try this recipe
May Compton says
I am white and have cooked cassava a few times previously. However I must admit following this recipe it came out the best and even my partner who is from Nigeria is impressed. He said he is proud that I am encouraging our kids to eat African food and how much I respect his culture
Immaculate Bites says
That is sweet, May! Thank you for sharing with me and I am happy to be part of your family’s food and culture experience 🙂
Jo WL says
Hi Imma, I like your recipes and your work to promote African food. However, I think you should really adjust this recipe for safety purposes. Cassava leaves, if not processed correctly, contains deadly cynaid. It is recommended not to be consumed if the leaves taste bitter after cooking, and it needs to be cooked for at least half an hour to break down the poison. (https://learn.tearfund.org/en/resources/footsteps/footsteps-41-50/footsteps-47/cooking-with-cassava-leaves)
In this recipe it is only cooked for under 10 minutes. I found it to be extremely bitter and then googled to find out that it means poisonous. I then went on to cook it for another 30 minutes and the bitterness drastically reduced and I was fine after consuming. Please make sure you warn people about it otherwise it might cause some potentially serious consequences! Thanks!
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you for sharing, Jo!
Mrs.Gee says
I made the dish years ago and didn’t get this information. I think because the leaves are frozen the process of a fresh leaf has been deemed safe for consumption. I can say that this would be a great thing to say in reference to someone who wanted to use fresh leaves. I didn’t have to go through the entire cooking process of the leaves and the dish smells, but the taste was outstanding. However I thank you for that information.
Alyce says
Also, my husband was really happy I cooked this- he is from Mali and they call this dish fakhoye
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Garland says
Mine came out a little bitter how can I fix that
ImmaculateBites says
I have not ran across this issue before .Maybe for next time you could try squeezing out the liquid from the cassava leaf and adding more ground paste .
Alyce says
Thank you for the recipe. I made this with dried cassava leaves I found at the local market, but discovered after I cooked it that the leaves had sand in it.
How do you get rid of the sand in dried cassava leaves?
ImmaculateBites says
You have to wash it several times for it to be sandfree.
Omidiran says
With regards to Fresh Cassava Leaves, do you Pulse and then Cook…or do you cook and then pulse.
Much love.
Bless!
ImmaculateBites says
You pulse and then cook.
Garland says
Mine came out a little bitter how can I fix that
Susan Gibbons says
this recipe looks delicious and cant wait to try it. we grow our own casava here in NSW, Australia. Would you please give me instructions for fresh leaf casava. I understand that it has to be pounded because of the cyanide.
tay says
What kind of beef do you prefer?
Mary says
I prefer goat mear
Anni C says
Thanks for this clear recipe. I teach American English to several congolese people, and all recommend cassava leaves and, specifically, pondu. This sounds very much like one student explained her recipe. I bought frozen cassava leaves and let them thaw in their package in the fridge without meaning to, so I want to use them soon. I have some rich chicken/oxtail stock, so I will use that and some frozen shrimp. I even have palm oil from an earlier recipe, which my friends feel is critical, but I wonder about Maggi cubes. I don’t want to return to the store this week. If my stock is rich, do I need them? Are Wyler’s chicken bouillion cubes a reasonable substitute? I know my friends also recommend dried fish (“saltfish”), but since I have shrimp, I am thinking of using a little bonito flakes instead. I wasn’t sure which dried fish would be good but already have bonito flakes that I use in Korean jjigae. Any suggestions for this version? I’ll let you know how it turns out!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Anni! The Wyler’s chicken bouillon cubes will work just fine and the as well as your bonito flakes. Don’t worry, you have absolutely everything you need to do this dish. Can’t wait for you to make it. Looking forward to your feedback! 🙂
TT says
This looks delicious, I would like to try it. But I’m vegetarian. Do you have any recommendations for a vegetarian variation?
ImmaculateBites says
You can take out the beef, shrimp, and fish. You can also use vegetable bouillon. Hope this helps. Happy cooking 🙂 !
Cece says
I tried it and it worked!!! Thanks a lot.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome!! So glad you liked it, Cece :)!
Glory says
After pounding the cassava leave will I boil it and set aside
ImmaculateBites says
After pounding , you do not need to boil it. Set aside until needed. You may freeze for later use.
Stephanie Evans says
So I am white and my bf is from Sierra Leone… I want to learn how to cook African food for him… My question is, what do you mean by when you say stock?
Imma Adamu says
Hi Stephanie, Stock is the flavored or spiced broth that comes from steaming/boiling meats, chicken etc. It has such great flavor that it often spices up your food without being overly present or pungent. Imaigine boiling a tasty chicken, add onions, salt and any spices you love. Once the chicken boiled, i never throw away the flavorful water, I find ways to use it over and over again. I hope this helps.
Madi says
I tried this recipe exactly and it came out perfectly. Thank u so much. My husband is from Senegal and I am American Black and he says that I made it the best! I’m so happy. I love spinach and will try it that way as well. I look forward to trying your other recipes as well❣️
imma africanbites says
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Madi. So happy you guys love this. Happy New Year! =)
Adiatu says
If you don’t have palm oil, coconut oil is a popular substitute. Make sure you rinse your store bought cassava leaf prior to cooking it! You can put it in a bowl, add water to the top of the bowl, and these use a hand held strainer to scoop up the cassava leaves. Also, the easiest way to cook cassava leaf is “one pot”. Season you meat and bring it to boil, add blended sweet onion and habanero peppers, add Maggi, add your oil, add a little peanut butter, add a handful of blended okra (or a couple of spoons of tola if you have some), and add the cassava leaf when your stock simmers down. I like to cook the leaves for longer than 5 mins – about 15 minutes to get the full taste.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts with us. This is a must try for me next time, can’t resist anything coconut.