East Africa · Side

Mataba (Pounded Cassava Leaves in Coconut Cream)

Name: Mataba (Pounded Cassava Leaves in Coconut Cream)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Comoros
Ingredients: 500 g fresh tender cassava leaves (substitute: frozen pounded cassava leaves or mature lacinato kale); 800 ml thick coconut milk (separated into 400ml thin/second press and 400ml thick first-press cream); 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 6 cloves garlic, finely crushed in a mortar; 20 g fresh ginger, finely grated; 2 stalks lemongrass, inner tender white bulb finely minced; 2 whole fresh green chilies, minced; 30 g dried smoked fish flakes (such as dried bonito or smoked mackerel), finely shredded; 1 tsp ground black pepper; fine sea salt, to taste

Silky pounded cassava greens slow-cooked in spiced, reduced coconut cream with fragrant garlic and dried bonito.

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comoriancassava-leavescoconutside-dishslow-cooked

The story

In the verdant island of Mwali (Mohéli), Mataba is the quintessential home-cooked relish that sustains daily village life. Cassava leaves (manioc) must be young, tender, and pounded patiently in a heavy wooden pestle and mortar (kinu) to break down their fibrous cellular structure and destroy natural cyanogenic glucosides through extended boiling. The dish represents classic Comorian culinary alchemy: marrying dark, intensely iron-rich greens with abundant sweet coconut milk and a subtle savory whisper of dried fish or ground aromatics.

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