Palaver Sauce

Instructions

Put the beef in a pot with 1 cup of water and the salt. Scatter some of the onions, garlic and ground red pepper over the meat, bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

Add the rest of the onions and red pepper, then the tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh fish, salted cod and palm oil. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened into the sauce.

Stir in the chopped greens and simmer over medium heat for a few more minutes. Lower the heat if the pot starts to boil hard.

While that simmers, clean the smoked fish by removing the head, skin and bones. Lay the fish gently into the pot and let it simmer uncovered.

Blend the agushi seeds with an equal amount of water until smooth. Pour the paste into the pot, add the bay leaves, and leave it alone for about 10 minutes without stirring.

Uncover and stir the sauce through. Keep simmering on low heat until most of the liquid has cooked away and the sauce is thick.

Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve with rice, boiled yam or another starch. A second route is to boil the greens in ½ to 1 cup of water for 5 minutes, drain them and keep the water, then fry onions and bay leaves in the oil until browned and discard the bay. Add the chile, fresh fish and salted cod for 10 minutes, then the tomato paste and greens water for 4 minutes, then the tomatoes, the steamed beef with its juices, dried shrimp, smoked fish and ground agushi, and cook covered for 10 minutes.