PONDU: A STAPLE DISH IN THE CONGO

Ingredients:

2 kg pounded\ground cassava leaves 

1 eggplant 

2 green round eggplants

2 zucchinis

2 cucumbers

1 bunch of leeks 

2 onions 

1 garlic clove (or 1 oz of garlic paste)
½ lemon

2 cans of mackerels

1 tsp Tolia Bouillon seasoning

1 tsp sea salt

14 oz of cholesterol-free palm oil (Carotino)

1 cup Ground Peanut, fresh

 

 

STEP 1

• in a large pot, pour your ground cassava leaves
• On the other hand, wash clean the rest of the veggies (eggplants, zucchini, cucumbers, leek, and onions)
• Peel the onions, garlic clove, eggplants and cut them into pieces sized enough to fit in your blender. Cut off the end (root) of the leek, and with a sharp knife, remove the dark green leaf end one by one and rinse them separately very well as they tend to hide sand and dirt; if you’re not careful, you may miss it, and it’s crucial. Once washed very well, cut them in pieces also to fit in the blender
• For the cucumbers and zucchini, just cut them in pieces with the skin on. No need to peeps. There’s two, just cut them in sizes enough to fit in your blender. 
• Once all your veggies are washed clean and precut, place them in your blender or grinder, then grind them until you have a complete paste consistency. Here if your garlic was already pasted, then no need to blend it again. You’ll add the garlic paste directly into the cassava leaves pot.
• In the meantime, preheat your stove at high heat to save some time
• Now Add all your paste into the cassava leaves pot, add your 1 tsp salt and bouillon seasoning, mix them all to have a homogeneous mixture. Add 1L of water and add your fish portions on top of the mixture
• Ready? Now, set the stove at medium heat, place your pot, cover and cook for 30 minutes
• After your 30 min is up, your water should decrease, then your cassava leaves should change to a military green color instead of the initial bright green color. It should also be soft when you taste it

 

STEP2

 

• Add your 100% red palm oil , mackerel and Fresh ground peanut, cover it back. Change the stove to low heat to avoid the dish to burn without being cooked all the way through.
• Set a timer for 50minutes, ensure that your stove is set at low heat; it’s essential. Cook it until the timer is up
• You should have a nice thick consistency stew. With a wooden cooking spoon, give it a quick stir. Now you know it’s ready!