Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Zambian

Ifisashi with nshima

Vegetarian

Ifisashi

Leafy greens cooked with tomato and onion in a creamy ground-peanut sauce, served with a mound of stiff white nshima. Everyday Zambian comfort food.

Ifisashi with nshima is a Zambian main course, ready in about 50 minutes and made with peanuts, spinach and cornmeal. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
535

Ingredients

4 servings

For the ifisashi

For the nshima

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk the ground peanuts (opens in a new tab) into 400 ml water in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) with the onion (opens in a new tab) and tomato (opens in a new tab). Bring to a simmer, stirring, and cook until it thickens and no longer tastes raw.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the greens and salt, stir and cook until the greens are tender and the sauce is thick.

    • 8 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile make the nshima: bring 800 ml water to the boil, stir in a slurry of 100 g mealie meal (opens in a new tab) and the remaining water and cook 5 minutes. Beat in the rest of the meal gradually, cover for 5 minutes on low, then beat until smooth and stiff.

  4. Step 4

    Shape the nshima into lumps (ntongo) with a wet spoon and serve with the ifisashi.

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Zambia · Well documentedIfisashi is a Bemba word; similar peanut-greens relishes are eaten across the region.Also popular in MalawiMore food from Zambia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Stews & braises
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
nutty, creamy, mild
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · High-protein
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with
Peanuts · Spinach · Cornmeal · Onion · Tomato
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Peanutsfrom peanuts

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

535 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 677 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 51%
  • Fat 34%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy535 kcal79 kcal
Protein20.2 g3 g
Carbohydrate73.2 g10.8 g
Net carbohydrate60.6 g9 g
Sugars5.5 g0.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre12.6 g1.9 g
Fat21.8 g3.2 g
Saturated fat2.8 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium726 mg107 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1360 mg
Calcium
210 mg
Iron
7.9 mg
Magnesium
273 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
620 µg
Vitamin C
45 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
365 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Do not add the greens until the peanut sauce has cooked, or it can taste raw.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the peanut sauce catch — stir from the bottom once it thickens.

Serve with

  • Add fried fish or chicken stew for a fuller meal.

Storage

  • The ifisashi keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat the ifisashi with a splash of water; make nshima fresh.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

For the ifisashi

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like