Vegetable Palm Oil Stew
Overview
This is a palm oil based stew loaded with chunky vegetables and smoked fish, and the contributor is direct about its status: it is a kitchen experiment that worked rather than an inherited dish. That is worth recording accurately rather than dressing up. What it is built on is entirely traditional. Palm oil, blended tomato and habanero, onion and smoked fish is the standard base of West African stew, and the technique of heating the palm oil first, softening the onions in it and then reducing the blended pepper is the same one behind dozens of Ghanaian and Nigerian dishes. What is unusual is the treatment of the vegetables: cabbage and green bell pepper go in as large chunks near the end and keep their texture, rather than being cooked down into the sauce. Two smoked fish, tuna and salmon, carry the savoury depth. Smoked fish is a foundation of West African cooking and its function here is the same as in any stew: a concentrated, slightly sweet smokiness that fresh fish does not provide. It is eaten with soft yam by the contributor's preference, and rice or ripe plantain work equally well.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Wash all the vegetables under running water.
- 2
Cut the onions into rings.
- 3
Blend the tomatoes and red habanero peppers together, taking out the tomato seeds.
- 4
Chop the cabbage and green bell peppers into large chunks.
- 5
Wash and debone the smoked salmon and tuna and break them into chunks.
- 6
Heat the palm oil in a saucepan over medium heat for about two minutes.
- 7
Add the onion rings and sauté until soft and fragrant.
- 8
Add the blended tomatoes and peppers and stir.
- 9
Add the smoked tuna and salmon and stir.
- 10
Add the stock cube and salt if needed, and stir.
- 11
Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 12
Add the chopped cabbage and stir, adjusting the salt to taste. Cook for two minutes.
- 13
Add the green bell peppers as a garnish and turn off the heat after a minute.
- 14
Serve with any side of your choice.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Amanda Dadson- Do not overheat the palm oil. Two minutes over medium heat is enough to loosen it; taken to smoking point it turns bitter and loses its colour.
- Deseed the tomatoes before blending, as the recipe specifies. The seeds add a sourness that works against the sweetness of the palm oil.
- Reduce the blended pepper properly for the full 25 minutes. An underdone tomato base tastes raw and no seasoning fixes it.
- Add the cabbage and bell pepper right at the end. Keeping their crunch against the soft stew is the point of the dish.
- Debone the smoked fish carefully. Small bones in a stew like this are unpleasant and easy to miss.
- Five habaneros is genuinely hot. Reduce them if you need to; nothing else about the dish changes.
Questions cooks ask
Is this a traditional Ghanaian dish?
Not as such. The contributor describes it as a kitchen experiment rather than an inherited recipe, and this entry says so. What it is built on is entirely traditional: palm oil, blended tomato and habanero, onion and smoked fish is the standard base of West African stew, applied here with chunky vegetables added late.
Can I use less palm oil?
You can, though 200 ml for this quantity is characteristic rather than excessive, and palm oil is doing more than lubricating: its distinct sweetness and colour are central to the flavour. If you reduce it substantially, expect a thinner, paler stew. Substituting another oil changes the dish entirely.
What smoked fish should I use?
Smoked tuna and salmon are specified here, but any firm smoked fish works and West African cooks use whatever is available. Smoked mackerel, herring and catfish are all common. What matters is that it is smoked rather than fresh, since the concentrated smokiness is what the stew is built around.
What is it eaten with?
Soft boiled yam is the contributor's preference. Rice and boiled ripe plantain both work well, and the sweetness of ripe plantain against the heat of the habanero is a particularly good combination. It is substantial enough to serve as a main course with any of them.
Reviews
3 reviews
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The combination of smoked tuna and smoked salmon inside this palm oil stew is top tier. I added the cabbage at the very end so it stayed a bit crunchy instead of getting soggy. E sweet sha, served it with boiled yam for dinner and my whole family cleared their plates o.
Couldn't get smoked salmon chunks so used smoked mackerel from the continental store in Cardiff. Tasted decent in the end but 45 mins cooking time is way off, it took me at least an hour just to reduce the blended tomatoes enough for the palm oil to float to the top.
Herh, cutting the cabbage into large chunks like that will make it watery oo. My auntie in Tamale always shreds it thin so it soaks up the habanero and fish stock properly. But using both smoked salmon and tuna together is very good, e taste nice with rice.