Ghanaian Spinach Stew With Sweet Plantains

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup palm oil or vegetable oil
• 1 medium red onion
• chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• minced
• 3 tablespoons minced ginger (1 ounce)
• 1 habanero chile
• seeds and ribs removed
• minced (include seeds if you love heat)
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes
• chopped
• 3/4 cup egusi or raw shelled pumpkin seeds
• 4 teaspoons African smoked dried shrimp powder (or 2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika plus some fish sauce)
• 1 pound spinach
• washed
• dried and roughly chopped
• 3 large sweet (yellow) plantains
• peeled and boiled in salted water until just tender

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven, warm the palm oil over medium heat, and add the onions, garlic, ginger, chile and a couple pinches of salt.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown and sweet, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and a few generous pinches of salt.
5. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and partly cover the pan.
6. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has cooked to a rich tomato-soup consistency, about 25 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, pulse the egusi or pumpkin seeds in a food processor or blender to a fine powder, until it just starts to get clumpy.
8. (Do not overprocess into a butter.)
9. Remove to a bowl.
10. When the tomatoes have reduced, add the shrimp powder (or smoked paprika and fish sauce to taste), and simmer 2 minutes.
11. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, to the bowl of egusi powder until it is a loose paste.
12. Add the egusi paste on top of the tomato sauce, and spread it out.
13. Cover the pan, and cook 5 minutes.
14. Stir the sauce all together; it will look like a thick porridge.
15. Add a few splashes of water, and increase heat to a boil.
16. Stir in the spinach, until wilted and tender.
17. Taste, season with salt (or more fish sauce, if using) and serve with boiled sweet plantains.