Matapa

Mozambique's great green stew of tender young cassava leaves simmered with coconut milk, garlic, and pounded cashews until rich, thick, and fragrant, the national comfort dish of the coast

Origin: Mozambique

From the journey of Cashew.

Matapa is the best-loved dish of the Mozambican coast, a thick, green, deeply savoury stew built on the two great gifts the Portuguese tide brought to the country: the coconut palm and the Brazilian cashew. Young cassava leaves (matapa gives the dish its name) are pounded and then simmered long and slow with coconut milk, garlic, and onion until they collapse into a rich, almost creamy green mass, and the body and richness come from pounded cashews or groundnuts stirred through, the cashew being the characteristically Mozambican choice in the great cashew-growing north. Often prawns or crab are added, for the coast is generous with seafood, but the vegetable matapa is a beloved everyday dish in its own right. Served with rice or with the stiff maize porridge xima, matapa is the taste of home across Mozambique, and a dish in which the cashew, ground to a paste, plays exactly the thickening, enriching role it plays half a world away in the kormas of India.

Ingredients

500 g cassava leaves (or frozen cassava leaves; spinach or pumpkin leaves as a substitute), finely chopped
100 g raw cashews
400 ml coconut milk
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp oil
200 g raw prawns, peeled (optional)
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

If using fresh cassava leaves, chop them very finely or pound them in a mortar; this is essential, as cassava leaves must be well broken down and thoroughly cooked. Grind the cashews to a coarse paste with a little water.
Soften the onion and garlic in the oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat until translucent.
Add the chopped cassava leaves and a little water, cover, and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the leaves are completely tender and collapsed.
Stir in the ground cashews and the coconut milk, season, and simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, until the stew is thick, rich, and a deep green.
If using prawns, add them for the last 5 to 7 minutes, until just cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot with plain rice or with xima (stiff maize porridge).

Notes

Groundnuts (peanuts) are used in place of cashews in some regions and households; the cashew version is characteristic of the great cashew-growing north of Mozambique. For a vegetarian or vegan matapa, simply omit the prawns; the dish is complete and delicious without them. Cassava leaves contain natural compounds that are removed by thorough chopping and long cooking, so never undercook them.

The Gastrographer

Name: Matapa
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mozambique
Ingredients: 500 g cassava leaves (or frozen cassava leaves; spinach or pumpkin leaves as a substitute), finely chopped; 100 g raw cashews; 400 ml coconut milk; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tbsp oil; 200 g raw prawns, peeled (optional); salt and black pepper, to taste

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control