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Ampesi With Kontomire Stew

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 33 minutes
Servings 4

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.