Ravitoto sy henakisoa

Name: Ravitoto sy henakisoa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Ingredients: 500 g pork belly, cut into 3 cm pieces; 500 g cassava leaves, ground (frozen packs, thawed); 6 cloves garlic, pounded to a paste; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1000 ml water; 1½ tsp salt; 200 ml coconut milk (optional); 300 g long-grain white rice (optional)

Non-vegetarian

Pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked with garlic and fatty pork until dark, soft and rich. One of Madagascar's favourite dishes, served with rice.

Ravitoto sy henakisoa is a Malagasy stew from Madagascar, ready in about 2 hours 15 minutes and made with pork belly, cassava leaves and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Dish of dark green ravitoto cassava-leaf stew served with white rice — Photo: lovarakotomalala / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 h
Total: 2 h 15 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 720

Ingredients

4 servings

500 g Pork belly (opens in a new tab), cut into 3 cm piecesSwap: Pork shoulder (Leaner; add a spoon of oil.); Beef chuck (Beef is used by those who do not eat pork.)
500 g Cassava leaves (opens in a new tab), ground (frozen packs, thawed)Sold frozen and pre-ground in African and Asian grocers. If unavailable, use finely chopped kale, which is a stand-in rather than the real thing.Swap: Kale (Stand-in only; cook for 30 minutes instead of 90.)
6 cloves (24 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), pounded to a paste
1 (110 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
1000 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
1½ tsp (9 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
200 ml Coconut milk (opens in a new tab) (optional)Coastal households often add coconut milk at the end.
300 g Long-grain white rice (opens in a new tab) (optional)For serving.

Equipment

Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Put the pork in a heavy pot over medium heat with a splash of water and cook, stirring, until the fat runs and the pieces are golden.
- 15 min
- medium heat
- Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Add the onion (opens in a new tab) and half the garlic (opens in a new tab) and fry for 3 minutes until fragrant.
- 3 min
- medium heat
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels
3
Step 3
Stir in the cassava leaves (opens in a new tab), water and salt. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer, stirring now and then and adding water if it catches, until the leaves are dark, soft and no longer taste raw.
- 90 min
- low heat
Food safety: Cassava leaves contain natural compounds that are only made safe by thorough cooking; never shorten the simmering time.
4
Step 4
Stir in the remaining garlic (opens in a new tab) (and the coconut milk (opens in a new tab), if using) and cook 10 minutes more until thick. Serve with rice.
- 10 min
- low heat

About this dish

Origin: Madagascar · Well documentedMore food from Madagascar
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method: Simmered, Braised
Taste: savoury, garlicky, earthy, rich
Diet: No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · Carb-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-styleWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: One-pot · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with: Pork belly · Cassava leaves · Garlic · Onion
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering · Braising

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

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

720 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 536 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 9%
Carbohydrate 9%
Fat 83%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	720 kcal	134 kcal
Protein	15.5 g	2.9 g
Carbohydrate	15.6 g	2.9 g
Net carbohydrate	8.4 g	1.6 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	7.2 g	1.3 g
Fat	67 g	12.5 g
Saturated fat	24.3 g	4.5 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	90 mg	17 mg
Sodium	929 mg	173 mg
Salt equivalent	2.3 g	0.4 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 931 mg
Calcium: 146 mg
Iron: 2 mg
Magnesium: 102 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 240 µg
Vitamin C: 18 mg
Vitamin D: —
Vitamin B12: 1.1 µg
Folate (DFE): 8 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: coconut milk, 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

Adding some of the garlic at the end keeps its punch, which is part of the character of the dish.

Common mistakes

Under-cooking the leaves: they should be soft, dark green and mellow.

Serve with

Serve with rice and a fresh tomato salad (lasary voatabia).

Food safety

Cook cassava leaves for at least an hour.

Storage

Keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well for 3 months.

Reheating

Reheat with a splash of water until piping hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Pork belly, cut into 3 cm pieces500 g
Cassava leaves, ground (frozen packs, thawed)500 g
Garlic, pounded to a paste6 clove · 24 g
Long-grain white rice (optional)300 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

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