What Is Kontomire? The Ghanaian Cocoyam Leaf Stew Explained
Kontomire is a Ghanaian cocoyam leaf stew, also called palava sauce. Here is what it is and where to buy the ingredients.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Kontomire is the Ghanaian name for cocoyam leaves, and for the much loved green stew made from them, also widely known as palava sauce. The leaves are cooked down with onions, tomatoes, pepper, palm oil and often ground melon seeds, egusi or agushi, along with fish, meat or both, into a rich, hearty, savoury green stew. Nourishing and full of flavour, kontomire is a Ghanaian staple, classically eaten with boiled yam, plantain, rice or a swallow. In the UK the cocoyam leaves, often frozen or as spinach used in their place, and the other ingredients are sold by African food shops.
What to remember
- Kontomire is the Ghanaian name for cocoyam leaves and the green stew made from them.
- It is also widely known as palava sauce.
- The leaves are cooked with onions, tomatoes, pepper, palm oil and often egusi or agushi.
- It is made with fish, meat or both, into a rich, hearty green stew.
- The leaves, or spinach in their place, and other ingredients are sold by African food shops.
For Ghanaians in Britain, kontomire is a nourishing taste of home. It is the rich green stew of cocoyam leaves, the palava sauce with egusi and fish, the plate of boiled yam or plantain with kontomire, the wholesome flavour that says home and family meals. Cooking kontomire far from home, even with spinach in place of cocoyam leaves, brings back family kitchens and the comforting richness of a beloved green stew, the warmth of home in every hearty spoonful.
There is real heritage in it too, in a stew so tied to Ghanaian home cooking and to the cocoyam plant that gives it its name. It reflects a whole culture of nourishing, resourceful home food, and to make kontomire is to keep that alive. Cooking kontomire and yam for family who grew up on it, or introducing a friend to their first plate of palava sauce, is a small act of welcome. That rich, nourishing taste of home is the quiet gift of kontomire.
What Kontomire Actually Is
Kontomire is a much loved part of Ghanaian cooking, and the word refers both to cocoyam leaves, the large green leaves of the cocoyam plant, and to the popular green stew made from them. This stew is also widely known as palava sauce, a name used across parts of West Africa for a rich stew of greens. In kontomire stew, the cocoyam leaves are the star, cooked down into a soft, savoury, deep green base that is enriched and flavoured into a hearty dish.
The stew is beloved for being nourishing, tasty and satisfying, a way of turning leafy greens into a rich, full-flavoured meal. Where fresh cocoyam leaves are hard to find, as is often the case abroad, cooks use spinach or other greens in their place, so the dish can always be enjoyed. Kontomire belongs to the world of Ghanaian dishes we cover in our guide to Ghanaian food, a treasured green stew closely tied to the cocoyam plant we also cover in our guide to cocoyam.
How Kontomire Is Made and Eaten
Making kontomire stew brings the greens together with a rich, savoury base. The cocoyam leaves, or spinach in their place, are chopped and cooked down until soft, and a flavour base is built from onions, tomatoes, chilli or pepper and palm oil, which gives the stew colour and richness. Very often ground melon seeds, known as egusi or agushi, are added, which thicken the stew and add a nutty depth, making a particularly rich version. Fish, such as smoked or dried fish and fresh fish, and meat are added, along with seasonings, and everything is simmered into a thick, hearty green stew.
Kontomire is served as a main dish with a starchy staple, classically boiled yam, plantain, cocoyam or rice, and also with swallows like banku or fufu, the mild staple balancing the rich, savoury stew. A plate of boiled yam or plantain with kontomire is a beloved Ghanaian meal. This is general food information rather than dietary advice, and where fish or shellfish is used those with a seafood allergy should take care. Rich, green and full of flavour, kontomire is a nourishing and satisfying stew.
Kontomire as a Ghanaian Favourite
Kontomire holds a warm place in Ghanaian food culture as a nourishing, everyday favourite, a way of eating leafy greens that is genuinely delicious and filling. It is homely, wholesome food, cooked in family kitchens and enjoyed across the country, and its richness from palm oil, egusi and fish makes it satisfying as well as nutritious in feel. Different cooks and regions have their own versions, some richer with egusi, some simpler, some with different fish and meat.
For Ghanaians, kontomire is a comforting taste of home, and for anyone exploring Ghanaian food it is a wonderful, hearty green stew to try, especially with boiled yam or plantain. This article is general food and cultural information rather than dietary advice. Whether called kontomire or palava sauce, this rich green stew of cocoyam leaves is a treasured part of Ghanaian home cooking, nourishing, flavourful and much loved.
Where to Buy the Ingredients in the UK
Making kontomire at home in Britain is very doable. African food shops sometimes stock cocoyam leaves, often frozen, and where they are not available spinach or other leafy greens work well as a stand-in, which is common practice abroad. The shops also sell the palm oil, egusi or agushi, dried and smoked fish, pepper and seasonings that go into the stew, and the yam, plantain or ingredients for a swallow to serve with it.
If you want to make kontomire, an African food shop can point you to cocoyam leaves or suggest spinach in their place, and to the palm oil, egusi, fish and seasonings you need. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you, where these ingredients are familiar items. Cooked down with palm oil, egusi and fish into a rich green stew and served with yam or plantain, kontomire brings a hearty, nourishing taste of Ghana to your table.
Frequently asked questions
What is kontomire?
Kontomire is the Ghanaian name for cocoyam leaves, and for the much loved green stew made from them, also widely known as palava sauce. The leaves are cooked down with onions, tomatoes, pepper, palm oil and often ground melon seeds, egusi or agushi, along with fish, meat or both, into a rich, hearty, savoury green stew, classically eaten with boiled yam, plantain, rice or a swallow.
What is palava sauce?
Palava sauce is another name for kontomire stew, and more broadly for rich West African stews made from leafy greens. In Ghana, palava sauce usually means the kontomire stew of cocoyam leaves cooked with palm oil, pepper, often egusi or agushi, and fish or meat. Kontomire and palava sauce refer to the same beloved green stew.
What can I use instead of cocoyam leaves?
Where fresh cocoyam leaves are hard to find, as is often the case outside West Africa, spinach or other leafy greens are commonly used in their place to make kontomire stew, and the dish is still delicious. African food shops sometimes stock cocoyam leaves, often frozen, but spinach is a reliable and popular stand-in.
What do you eat with kontomire?
Kontomire stew is served with a starchy staple, classically boiled yam, plantain, cocoyam or rice, and also with swallows like banku or fufu. The mild staple balances the rich, savoury green stew. A plate of boiled yam or plantain with kontomire is a much loved Ghanaian meal.
Where can I buy the ingredients in the UK?
African food shops sometimes stock cocoyam leaves, often frozen, and where they are not available spinach works well in their place. The shops also sell the palm oil, egusi or agushi, dried and smoked fish, pepper and seasonings for the stew, and yam or plantain to serve with it. A shop can point you to everything you need. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you.