Ngoundja

What it really is

A Central African cassava-leaf sauce often served with gozo.

Ngoundja (also written ngoudja or ngunza) is a cooked cassava-leaf dish. The leaves are pounded or finely prepared and simmered with seasonings; peanut paste is used in some versions.

Cassava leaves need careful cooking before they become tender and suitable for a stew or sauce. They are finely pounded or chopped, then simmered with seasonings; some versions add peanut paste for body, while others rely on palm oil or a different base. The name and spelling vary, and there is no single fixed formula. Gozo, rice, plantain or cassava may be served separately to make the meal more substantial. This page describes the leaf preparation, not its side dish. The cook should identify which leaves and protein, if any, are in the pot. Peanut is not implied by the name and should only be declared for versions that include it. Menus should also avoid treating the English phrase “cassava-leaf sauce” as a complete ingredient description: fats, meat stock and seasonings can materially change the recipe.

The cooked leaves can be served as a side relish or as the vegetable centre of a meal, depending on the portion. If gozo or another staple is included, list it separately. Name the actual cooking fat and protein because neither can be inferred reliably from the dish name.

Finely cut leaves soften during simmering and may be served as a relish beside gozo or another staple. Name the leaves and identify peanut paste, palm oil or protein only when present in that pot.

How it's served

• Serve hot with gozo, rice, plantain or steamed cassava.

How to write it on the menu

• Confirm whether peanut paste is included in the kitchen’s version.