1
Start leaves
Put pounded cassava leaves, garlic, chile if using, and water in a pot. Simmer until the leaves begin to soften.
Cook leaves
30:00
Mozambique | Stew
Matapa
Mozambican matapa, pounded cassava leaves simmered with ground peanuts, coconut milk, garlic, piri-piri, and shrimp.
Country
Mozambique
Region
East Africa
Time
105 min
Serves
4
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Matapa should be creamy and earthy, with the cassava leaves cooked past toughness. The seafood seasons the pot rather than taking it over.
What the dish tastes like
Mozambican matapa, pounded cassava leaves simmered with ground peanuts, coconut milk, garlic, piri-piri, and shrimp.
When to cook it
Best for everyday meals, with a medium cooking level and about 105 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
White rice, xima, grilled prawns, or piri-piri chicken
Follow the collection
Vegetarian Africa is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. Vegetarian Africa
Regional lane
Mozambique national table. A verified Mozambique 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.
- Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
How you know it is ready
- The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
- Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.
Chef board
Build the table around Matapa
White rice, xima, grilled prawns, or piri-piri chicken
Best route from here
Mozambique national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
5 steps
105 min total
medium
2
Add peanut
Stir in ground peanuts and onion. Cook gently, stirring often so the peanut does not catch.
Cook peanut
20:00
3
Simmer creamy
Add coconut milk and continue simmering until the leaves are tender and the sauce is creamy.
Simmer matapa
20:00
4
Cook seafood
Add shrimp, dried shrimp, or crab and simmer until cooked through and absorbed into the sauce.
Cook seafood
10:00
5
Finish
Season with salt and lemon juice if using. Serve hot over rice or xima.
Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.