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Mozambican

Matapa

Non-vegetarian

Pounded cassava leaves slowly cooked with ground peanuts, garlic and coconut milk into a thick, creamy green stew. A cornerstone of Mozambican home cooking.

Matapa is a Mozambican stew from Mozambique, ready in about 1 hour 55 minutes and made with cassava leaves, peanuts and coconut milk. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 40 min
Total
1 h 55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
475

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the cassava leaves (opens in a new tab), water, onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and salt in a heavy pot. Bring to the boil, then simmer covered, stirring regularly, until the leaves are dark and soft.

    Food safety: Cassava leaves must be cooked thoroughly to make them safe to eat.

  2. Step 2

    Mix the ground peanuts (opens in a new tab) with the coconut milk (opens in a new tab) and stir into the pot.

    • 2 min

  3. Step 3

    Simmer uncovered, stirring often so it does not catch, until thick and creamy and the peanuts (opens in a new tab) no longer taste raw.

    • 30 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    If using shrimp (opens in a new tab), stir them in for the last 4 minutes until pink. Taste for salt and serve with rice or xima.

    • 5 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Mozambique · Well documentedAlso eaten in neighbouring Malawi and Tanzania in similar forms.More food from Mozambique
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses · Side dishes
Cooking method
Simmered, Stewed
Taste
creamy, nutty, earthy
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Whole-food focusedWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Freezer-friendly · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Cassava leaves · Peanuts · Coconut milk · Onion · Garlic
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Crustaceansfrom prawns / shrimp
  • 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

475 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 419 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 18%
  • Fat 70%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy475 kcal113 kcal
Protein15.3 g3.7 g
Carbohydrate23.7 g5.7 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat40.1 g9.6 g
Saturated fat21 g5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium760 mg181 mg
Salt equivalent1.9 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1171 mg
Calcium
176 mg
Iron
6.3 mg
Magnesium
202 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
236 µg
Vitamin C
18 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
110 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.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: prawns / shrimp, long-grain white rice.
  • 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

  • Stir from the bottom often once the peanuts go in; matapa catches easily.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the peanuts before the leaves are fully cooked — the leaves need their full hour first.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice or xima and grilled fish or chicken.

Food safety

  • Cook cassava leaves for at least an hour before eating.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge and freezes well.

Reheating

  • Reheat with a splash of water, stirring.

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, 4

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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