Recipe courtesy of Bonnetta Adeeb

This can be served as a stew over jasmine rice, as a side dish, or as a cold collard green sandwich as MaLee used to eat it. This recipe comes from our dear adopted Sista, Mirelle Ghbetholancy (Mimi), from Niger, West Africa.

In West Africa, dried fish sets the flavor profile for the signature flavors. In Nigeria they call it stock fish, but with over 3000 languages spoken in Africa the name of the dish is not what counts. It’s the flavor baby. While pork is often used in southern cuisine, you can substitute fish, goat, beef, or shrimp. The protein ingredients can be it dried or smoked. That’s how you achieve that African flavor in this dish.

MAIN INGREDIENTS

  • Cleaned chopped greens: They can be, collards, turnips, kale or mixed.
  • Natural peanut butter, egusi, ground nuts, almond butter, cashew butter, or nutter nut butter.
  • 2 medium onions.
  • Sweet bell peppers red, yellow green, orange. The more colorful the better (small diced).
  • 1 can Tomatoes or 3 fresh tomatoes.
  • 4 cloves of garlic

PROTEIN OPTIONS

  • 8 ounces of either canned salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, oysters, or mussels.
  • 1 lb Shrimp, fresh or dried
  • 1-2 lbs of another protein option such as lamb, goat, or pork.
  • 2 ounces of dried fish can enhance the flavor as well

SEASONINGS

  • Many seasonings are very salty so use them to taste.
  • 2 – 4 cubes of shrimp, vegetable or chicken bouillon (Maggi or Knorr).
  • 1 tbs Fish sauce (Thai).
  • 2 tbs of Olive oil. Add more as needed.
  • 1 tsp Matouk’s hot sauce (A Jamaican brand that uses scotch bonnets and papaya).
  • Slap Yo Mamma seasoning to taste.
  • Parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, any spice you can get your hands on.
  • Peppers – such as scotch bonnets (very hot); other peppers are ok.
  • 2 Bay leaves

DIRECTIONS

Cook the greens separately from the preparing the sauce. Cooking in two pots speeds up the process when preparing for a party or larger event. You can speed up your cooking time by using canned greens and simply combine all the ingredients into one pot. But if you use canned greens reduce the salty ingredients like fish sauce and bouillon.

PREPARING THE GREENS POT

  • Set up two large pots (One for the sauce and one for greens).
  • Use a deep pot for the cooking the fresh greens.
  • Add your chopped cook them with onions and garlic.
  • Add the vegetable or chicken bouillon.
  • You can refrigerate or freeze the greens and can bring them out as needed.

PREPARING THE MIMI SAUCE

  • Dice the onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers, scotch bonnets or available peppers.
  • Heat pot then pour olive oil and additionally squeeze the liquid/oil from the canned fish.
  • Sautée vegetables and add in seasoning.
  • Cook vegetables until tender then add 1⁄2 cup of natural peanut butter or some other nut butter.
  • Egusi (melon seeds) can be used also.
  • Cook this mixture until it is smooth.

COMBINE POTS

Add the sauce, one large ladle at a time into the large pot with cooked greens until thoroughly combined. This is an art. (You may not need to add all the sauce you prepared. If there is left over sauce freeze or refrigerate for another dish.)

Once greens have absorbed the sauce and they have a creamy consistency, you can begin to add your protein option of seafood, canned fish, lamb, shrimp, beef, and cook on low heat until the shrimp or meat is either pink or completely cooked. Put on a tight fitting lid and turn off for the dish to rest.

Serve over a bed of Jasmine rice.