Cassava Leaves Soup 3

Ingredients
1 kg beef, cut into large cubes
1 large onion, sliced into rings
2 Maggi (or stock) cubes
1 heaped tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
4–6 tbsp dried chillies (preferrably piri-piri) ground to a powder
10 fresh Scotch Bonnet chillies
3 whole dried smoked fish, washed and flaked
1 kg minced cassava leaves (a 50:50 mix of spinach and Savoy cabbage mixed with a handful of curly parsley could be substituted)
50ml red palm oil

Method:
Place the beef and onions in a lidded casserole pot along with the Maggi cubes, salt and black pepper. Heat, stirring constantly. Meanwhile mix half the scotch bonnet chillies with the dried chillies and pound to a paste. Add the remaining chillies, whole, to the beef mixture. When the meat is almost done add 2l water to the pot. Bring to a boil and add 4 tbsp of the chilli paste. Return to a rapid boil and reduce the volume by about 1/4 before adding the cassava leaves.

At this point add 1 tbsp of the chilli paste and all the flaked fish. Return to the boil and cook for 20 minutes. Now add the red palm oil and stir into the other ingredients to mix thoroughly. Add the remaining chilli paste and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve, hot, on a bed of rice.