Ingredients

The following ingredients have 5 Servings
  • 1/2 cup palm oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons minced ginger (1 ounce)
  • 1 habanero chile, seeds and ribs removed, minced (include seeds if you love heat)
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 3/4 cup egusi or raw shelled pumpkin seeds
  • 4 teaspoons African smoked dried shrimp powder (or 2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika plus some fish sauce)
  • 1 pound spinach, washed, dried and roughly chopped
  • 3 large sweet (yellow) plantains, peeled and boiled in salted water until just tender

Instruction

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.