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Rwandan

Isombe

Vegetarian

Pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked with aubergine, spinach, onion and pepper and finished with peanut butter and palm oil. A beloved Rwandan everyday stew.

Isombe is a Rwandan stew, ready in about 2 hours and made with cassava leaves and peanut butter. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Bowl of isombe, mashed cassava leaves stewed with meat, with avocado
Photo: BalukuBrian / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 45 min
Total
2 h
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
222

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring the cassava leaves (opens in a new tab) and water to the boil in a large pot, then simmer, partly covered, stirring occasionally.

    Food safety: Cassava leaves must be cooked thoroughly to remove their natural cyanide-forming compounds.

  2. Step 2

    Add the aubergine (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), pepper, garlic (opens in a new tab) and spring onions (opens in a new tab) and simmer until the aubergine melts into the leaves.

    • 25 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the spinach (opens in a new tab), peanut butter (opens in a new tab), palm oil (opens in a new tab) and salt and cook, stirring often, until thick and creamy.

    • 15 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Rwanda · Commonly attributedCassava-leaf stews are eaten throughout the Great Lakes and Congo basin.Also popular in Burundi, DR CongoMore food from Rwanda
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Side dishes
Cooking method
Simmered, Stewed
Taste
earthy, nutty, savoury
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Low-carb · High-fibre
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 · Low-carb · High-fibre · Low-sodium · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Cassava leaves · Peanut butter · Eggplant · Spinach · Onion · Green bell pepper
Techniques
Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

  • Contains: Peanutsfrom peanut butter

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

222 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 436 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 53%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy222 kcal51 kcal
Protein7.5 g1.7 g
Carbohydrate21 g4.8 g
Net carbohydrate11.3 g2.6 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.7 g2.2 g
Fat14.4 g3.3 g
Saturated fat4.9 g1.1 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium521 mg120 mg
Salt equivalent1.3 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
984 mg
Calcium
148 mg
Iron
2.3 mg
Magnesium
132 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
314 µg
Vitamin C
39 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
88 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.
  • Cassava leaves: Raw sweet potato leaves (FDC 169303) used as a stand-in; cassava leaves are a similar dark leafy green but are higher in protein. Always cook cassava leaves thoroughly.
  • “—” 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

  • Frozen pounded cassava leaves from African shops save the laborious pounding.

Common mistakes

  • Shortening the cooking time — undercooked cassava leaves taste raw and aren't safe.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, ugali, boiled plantains or sweet potatoes, and brochettes.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; freezes well.

Reheating

  • Reheat with a splash of water.

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

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

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.

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