Nadia’s Ampesi’s Kontomire Stew

As part of its What Is Black Food? series, our pals at Our Place met up with Nadia Boachie, a food writer and blogger and content creator, to talk about challenging the assumption that Black food is unhealthy or lacks diversity and how she stays connected to her Ghanian roots. She also shared her recipe for ampesi with kontomire stew, a popular staple dish in Ghana that’s packed with nourishing greens. Read the full interview here, and check out the recipe below. —Vita Daily

Nadia’s Ampesi With Kontomire Stew

Kontomire is traditionally eaten with yam, boiled green or ripe plantain, or even rice.

Yield: 4-5 Servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

4 bunches (600 g.) spinach, fresh or frozen
2-3 large tomatoes, diced
1 habanero pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 inch piece of ginger
2 garlic cloves
1/2 large (or 1 medium) onion, sliced
1 tbsp. smoked shrimp powder (optional)
1 shrimp or chicken bouillon cube
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 to 1 inch piece momoni (fermented fish) (optional)
1 canned mackerel in tomato sauce (optional)
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 cup egusi (ground melon seeds)
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
Boiled yam, or plantain (green or ripe), or rice
Boiled egg
Sliced avocado

Place ginger, garlic, and habanero in a blender. Add up to 1/4 cup of water to help blend. Set aside. If using fresh spinach, remove stems from spinach and roughly chop. In your Perfect Pot, heat vegetable oil and add sliced onions. Saute onions for about 3 minutes until they soften and start to brown slightly. Add parsley, bouillon cube, smoked paprika, shrimp powder, and momoni (fermented fish) to the oil and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Momoni may break up in oil, so remove any bones if using. Keep stirring to prevent burning. Add blended ginger, garlic, and habanero mixture to the oil and saute briefly, about 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of your Beechwood Spatula. Bring to a light boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Simmer uncovered until the stew thickens and some water evaporates, about 10-15 minutes. Remove cover, and stir egusi into stew. Cover again and simmer for 5-7 minutes without stirring. Add spinach and cover. The spinach should wilt after about 3 minutes. When wilted, stir spinach into tomato stew until incorporated. Add canned mackerel. Do not add tomato sauce from canned fish to your stew, as it changes the flavour of the stew. I also remove the soft bone in the middle of the mackerel but this can be left in, as it is soft and is not a choking hazard. Gently break up mackerel but keep the chunks fairly big. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes uncovered. Serve hot with a side of boiled yam, boiled rice, or boiled plantain, an egg, and sliced avocado.

fromourplace.ca