Recipe from Charles Cann
Adapted by Francis Lam
- Total Time
- 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Rating
- 5(234)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This recipe is an adaptation of the smoky spinach stew served at Papaye, Samuel Obeng's restaurant in the Bronx. Built on a base of onions and ginger sauteed in palm oil, made fiery with habanero, and thickened with ground pumpkin seeds and tomatoes, the stew calls for African smoked, dried shrimp powder; its flavor is amazing. (Asian versions are typically unsmoked and chewier.) But smoked paprika and fish sauce make a serviceable substitute. —Francis Lam
Featured in: A Spicy Spinach Stew From Ghana
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- ½cup palm oil or vegetable oil
- 1medium red onion, chopped
- 4cloves garlic, minced
- 3tablespoons minced ginger (1 ounce)
- 1habanero chile, seeds and ribs removed, minced (include seeds if you love heat)
- Kosher salt
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 2½pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
- ¾cup egusi or raw shelled pumpkin seeds
- 4teaspoons African smoked dried shrimp powder (or 2½ teaspoons smoked paprika plus some fish sauce)
- 1pound spinach, washed, dried and roughly chopped
- 3large sweet (yellow) plantains, peeled and boiled in salted water until just tender
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
431 calories; 27 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 994 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In a Dutch oven, warm the palm oil over medium heat, and add the onions, garlic, ginger, chile and a couple pinches of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown and sweet, about 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and a few generous pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and partly cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has cooked to a rich tomato-soup consistency, about 25 minutes.
Step
2
Meanwhile, pulse the egusi or pumpkin seeds in a food processor or blender to a fine powder, until it just starts to get clumpy. (Do not overprocess into a butter.) Remove to a bowl.
Step
3
When the tomatoes have reduced, add the shrimp powder (or smoked paprika and fish sauce to taste), and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, to the bowl of egusi powder until it is a loose paste. Add the egusi paste on top of the tomato sauce, and spread it out. Cover the pan, and cook 5 minutes.
Step
4
Stir the sauce all together; it will look like a thick porridge. Add a few splashes of water, and increase heat to a boil. Stir in the spinach, until wilted and tender. Taste, season with salt (or more fish sauce, if using) and serve with boiled sweet plantains.
Ratings
5
out of 5
234
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Cooking Notes
LIsa
Palm oil demand is contributing to habitat loss and slaughtering of orangutans. I can sure make do with a substitute.
Rashmi
Red palm oil from Africa does not contribute to the loss of habitat of orangutans: that is due to palm oil grown in SE Asia where they live. Red palm oil has high beta carotene content and different from the refined shelf-stable palm oils used in processed foods. Red palm oil adds amazing flavor - found at a west African grocery (or online).
Hrag
I prepared this dish by adding Turkish hot pepper paste in addition to the tomato paste. I have used red pepper paste in similar dishes where the recipe requires tomatoes and tomato paste and I highly recommend it for this dish. It added another layer of flavor. Instead of shrimp powder, I added fresh shrimp at the very end so that it wouldn't over cook.
Greg
Here, the palm oil is a traditional regional ingredient. But the coconut oil/palm oil trend is related to 1) some evidence that the medium-chain triglycerides found in these oils have metabolic benefits, 2) the revision in thinking from "all solid/saturated fats are bad" to "some saturated fats are good and some are bad," and 3) new Western cosmopolitan foodie interest in regional cuisines where these oils feature heavily.
Fes
Japanese bonito flakes are an acceptable substitute and contribute the right fishy/smoky flavor.
Layli
Ever the weeknight cook in a hurry, I made this dish without the egusi, with the smoked paprika but not fish sauce, and with frozen spinach and canned tomatoes. I also threw in some cooked frozen shrimp. It came out great, particularly to my Liberian family's liking. I think it was the combination of the palm oil with the smoked paprika that really defined the taste.
akb
There are palm oil brands out there that are habitat friendly, like Nutiva.
Dar
Excellent. My subs: Quality canned plum tomatoes for fresh. Fish sauce and bottled woodsmoke for shrimp powder. Used smoked paprika the first time, but it affected the flavor. Didn’t have enough pumpkin seeds the second time I made it but sprinkled the couple of tablespoons of seeds in, left whole, and cooked a few minutes. Enjoyed the texture—just my preference—and will continue to make it that way.
Régine B.
I didn't change a thing, and it turned out great.
Jackie
I have made this dish several times and love it. At one point, I was bold enough to make this for an Ghanaian work mate. He had 2 upgrades - add meat (he was looking for beef) and it wasn't hot enough (he uses 2-3 habaneros!).
Beth J
No palm oil . Leaves the orangutans without a home . Destroys rain forest
Fes
Japanese bonito flakes are an acceptable substitute and contribute the right fishy/smoky flavor.
Dar
Excellent. My subs: Quality canned plum tomatoes for fresh. Fish sauce and bottled woodsmoke for shrimp powder. Used smoked paprika the first time, but it affected the flavor. Didn’t have enough pumpkin seeds the second time I made it but sprinkled the couple of tablespoons of seeds in, left whole, and cooked a few minutes. Enjoyed the texture—just my preference—and will continue to make it that way.
dan
Where does one even find African smoked dried shrimp powder? It isn’t on kalustyans website
Rashmi
Red palm oil from Africa does not contribute to the loss of habitat of orangutans: that is due to palm oil grown in SE Asia where they live. Red palm oil has high beta carotene content and different from the refined shelf-stable palm oils used in processed foods. Red palm oil adds amazing flavor - found at a west African grocery (or online).
agi
I couldn't find the smoked shrimp powder, so made it myself using this online recipe: https://www.choptime.co.uk/shrimp-powder/. Worked perfectly, but please note that the recipe's measurement and oven tempetrature units are from the UK: ml and Celcius, so they need to be converted for US weights and oven temps. Adds 1.5 hours of prep time to the Ghanian Stew recipe, but man oh man, this Stew is fantastic. Totally worth it. I added fresh shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Excellent.
Sheila
This was delicious! I used ingredients I had in my kitchen (non-palm oil, pumpkin seeds, smoked paprika + fish sauce) and it was bright and satisfying. I'm now motivated to try it with the authentic ingredients. It's also very attractive with the green, red, and yellow. Would be great with broiled or grilled fish.
akb
There are palm oil brands out there that are habitat friendly, like Nutiva.
Kimberly
I chopped the 2 plantains and added to the stew. I also roasted extra plantains, because well, I love them. :)
Layli
Ever the weeknight cook in a hurry, I made this dish without the egusi, with the smoked paprika but not fish sauce, and with frozen spinach and canned tomatoes. I also threw in some cooked frozen shrimp. It came out great, particularly to my Liberian family's liking. I think it was the combination of the palm oil with the smoked paprika that really defined the taste.
Jackie
I prepared this dish pretty much as is, using red palm oil and one habanero (even with scrapping membranes and seeds, the stew was fairly hot). The family loved it!
Régine B.
I didn't change a thing, and it turned out great.
Janine
I used unrefined coconut oil instead of the palm oil and reduced it to 1/4 cup (cut in half). It was wonderful!
cpsaul
Would someone please comment on palm oil? I heard for years that it was one of the worst oils health-wise. Now all of a sudden it and coconut oil, the other former no-no oil, from the coconut, are the hot trends of cooking. I was going to say 'smokin', but that is just too corny.
Please help. I'm so confused.
Greg
Here, the palm oil is a traditional regional ingredient. But the coconut oil/palm oil trend is related to 1) some evidence that the medium-chain triglycerides found in these oils have metabolic benefits, 2) the revision in thinking from "all solid/saturated fats are bad" to "some saturated fats are good and some are bad," and 3) new Western cosmopolitan foodie interest in regional cuisines where these oils feature heavily.
LIsa
Palm oil demand is contributing to habitat loss and slaughtering of orangutans. I can sure make do with a substitute.
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