Sweet Potato leaf Stew / Matembela
Description
Potato Leaf Stew, Matembele” is among the favorite stews, an undiscovered treasure waiting to be found and my favorite way of eating leafy green stews..
Ingredients
- 5 bundles of fresh sweet potato leaves matembele leaves, each bundle is about 1 kg/2 lb. discard the stems and use only the leaves.
- 1 kg / 2lb 4 oz. onions finely chopped
- 1 whole chicken about 1.5 kg / 3lb. 5 oz.
- 3- 4 red pili pili peppers/ red Habaneros or to taste
- ¾ cup palm oil
- 4 chicken bouillon
For the broth:
- 1 onion 3 cardamom pods and 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Wash the chicken and drain. Set in a pot, add water covering the chicken and place on high heat.
- Spoon the scum out as it appears. Once it reaches a boiling point, add the onion, cardamom pods and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours or until fully cooked and fall-off-the bone tender.
- In the meantime, wash, drain and roughly chop the sweet potato leaves.
- Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, debone and strip into medium sized pieces. Set the broth aside.
- Add the palm oil to a large stockpot and place over medium to high heat.
- Stir in the chopped onions and cook to translucent. Add the chopped sweet potato leaves in batches. Keep adding the leaves and tossing sautéing it all.
- Pour 3 cups of the chicken broth over the wilted sweet potato leaves, season with salt and the whole red peppers.
- Add the chicken strips and chicken bouillon and stir.
- Once the mixture boils, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours.
- Transfer the mixture to an oven dish and bake in a preheated oven to, 200°C/400°F, for 15-20 minutes to dry the sauce. Serve it with plain rice or fufu.
Notes
If you make this recipe, share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!Hashtag them #Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!