Sierra Leone | Stew

Cassava Leaf Stew

Name: Cassava Leaf Stew
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Sierra Leone, West Africa
Ingredients: 700 g cassava leaves, finely pounded or blended; 400 g beef, chicken, or smoked turkey, cut in pieces; 250 g smoked fish, deboned and flaked; ½ cup red palm oil; 2 medium onions, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 whole scotch bonnet peppers; ½ cup ground peanuts or peanut butter; 1 tbsp ogiri or fermented seasoning; 3 cups meat stock; salt and black pepper, to taste

Sierra Leonean cassava leaf stew with palm oil, beef or chicken, smoked fish, groundnut, onion, garlic, and chile.

Country

Sierra Leone

Region

West Africa

Time

125 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Sierra Leone recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Stew

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Sierra Leone

5 steps 35 min prep 90 min cook (check method) 125 min total medium

Cook meat

Season meat with onion, salt, and pepper. Simmer until tender and reserve the stock.

Cook meat 40:00

Start leaves

Simmer cassava leaves in a little water until they soften and lose their raw edge.

Soften leaves 30:00

Build stew

Heat palm oil and cook onion, garlic, chile, and ogiri if using. Add leaves, meat, smoked fish, and stock.

Build stew 10:00

Add groundnut

Stir in ground peanuts or peanut butter and simmer until the stew thickens and oil rises.

Simmer stew 30:00

Serve

Adjust salt and serve over white rice.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for Everyday meals and celebrations. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 125 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

White rice, plantain, fufu, or gari

Regional lane

Sierra Leone national table. A structured Sierra Leone dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Overcooking the greens until the color and texture collapse.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
Greens should be cooked through but still look alive and glossy.
The bread or batter should smell pleasantly fermented, toasted, or nutty rather than floury.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Cassava Leaf Stew recipe from Sierra Leone — Cassava Leaf Stew finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Cassava Leaf Stew

White rice, plantain, fufu, or gari

Best route from here

Sierra Leone national table

Collections to keep cooking

Swallow and Soup Table

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