Ghanaian Spinach Stew With Sweet Plantains

This recipe is an adaptation of the smoky spinach stew served at Papaye, Samuel Obeng’s restaurant in the Bronx. Built on a base of onions and ginger sauteed in palm oil, made fiery with habanero, and thickened with ground pumpkin seeds and tomatoes, the stew calls for African smoked, dried shrimp powder; its flavor is amazing. (Asian versions are typically unsmoked and chewier.) But smoked paprika and fish sauce make a serviceable substitute.

Ingredients

• ½ 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 ½ pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
• ¾ 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

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    685 calories; 40 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 36 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 1284 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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4 to 6 servings

Preparation

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

1 hour, 10 minutes