Kontomire stew is a very popular staple dish in Ghana. It is traditionally made with cocoyam leaves (called kontomire leaves) but can easily be made with frozen or fresh spinach. This stew can be made vegan, but is traditionally seasoned with a variety of dried, canned, fresh, and even cured/fermented fish. Ampesi is just the name of boiled plantain and yam. Since it is made with a ton of greens, this dish is packed with nutrients and can be modified to suit different tastes. It is important to dispel the idea that Black food can’t be healthy or substitutions cannot be made without the dish still being able to proudly claim its African roots.
Ampesi With Kontomire Stew
Ingredients
- 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
- 3 tablespoons to 1/2 cup vegetable oil or palm oil more traditionally if using vegetable oil, use 3 tablespoons. If using palm oil, use 1/4 to 1/2 cups.
- 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
- Boiled yam or plantain (green or ripe), or rice
- Boiled egg
- Sliced avocado
Instructions
- 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 flavor 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.
