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Guyanese

Metemgee

Non-vegetarian

A rich one-pot of cassava, plantain, sweet potato and eddoes simmered in coconut milk with salt fish and soft flour dumplings ('duff'). Hearty Guyanese comfort food.

Metemgee is a Guyanese stew from Guyana, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with coconut milk, cassava and plantain. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
660

Plus soaking the salt fish for several hours or overnight.

Ingredients

6 servings

Duff (dumplings)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the flour, raising agent and sugar (opens in a new tab), rub in the butter (opens in a new tab) and add the water to make a soft dough. Rest while you prepare the vegetables.

    • 5 min

  2. Step 2

    In a wide heavy pot, bring the coconut milk (opens in a new tab) and water to a simmer with the onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), thyme (opens in a new tab) and whole peppers.

  3. Step 3

    Layer in the cassava (opens in a new tab) first, then the eddoes, sweet potato (opens in a new tab) and plantain (opens in a new tab) on top. Season with salt, cover and simmer for 20 minutes without stirring.

    • 20 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Cassava must be fully cooked.

  4. Step 4

    Shape the dough into small flat dumplings and lay them on top with the flaked salt fish. Cover and cook 15–20 minutes more until the roots are tender, the dumplings are cooked through and the coconut sauce has thickened.

    • 20 min
    • low heat
    Dumplings being folded by hand
    How it looks · Photo: tom L on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Serve in bowls with sliced tomato (opens in a new tab) on top.

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

About this dish

Origin
Guyana · Well documentedClose relatives include Jamaican rundown and 'oil down' from Grenada.More food from Guyana
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
creamy, savoury, salty, rich
Diet
Pescatarian · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Coconut milk · Cassava · Plantain · Salt cod · Onion · Garlic
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Fishfrom salt cod
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

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

660 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 492 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 54%
  • Fat 32%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy660 kcal134 kcal
Protein23.8 g4.8 g
Carbohydrate91.2 g18.5 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0.7 g0.1 g
Fibre——
Fat24.3 g4.9 g
Saturated fat20.1 g4.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol43 mg9 mg
Sodium2106 mg428 mg
Salt equivalent5.3 g1.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1541 mg
Calcium
171 mg
Iron
6.3 mg
Magnesium
151 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
420 µg
Vitamin C
35 mg
Vitamin D
1 µg
Vitamin B12
2.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
143 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: tomato.
  • “—” 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

  • Don't stir once the roots are in — shake the pot gently instead so they keep their shape.

Serve with

  • With fried fish or fried salt fish and onions on top.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water or coconut milk.

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.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3, 4, 5

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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