Author: Pierre Thiam
About: Pierre Thiam is a Senegal-raised, California-based chef, author, restaurateur, social entrepreneur & culinary ambassador. Pierre features in the book The Contemporary African Kitchen by Alexander Smalls and published by Phaidon.
4
Easy
20 minutes
1 hour 10 minutes
1. Place all the nokoss ingredients into a blender or a mortar. Blend or pound with the pestle until well combined and then put into a sterilised jar with a lid. Nokoss can be kept in a refrigerator for up to 1 week.
2. In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt, fish sauce, and chicken thighs. Cook over a medium heat for approximately 10–15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken, set aside to cool, then shred into bite-sized pieces.
3. Add the peanut butter to the broth and return to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium–low and stir with a wooden spoon for approximately 2–3 minutes, until the peanut butter is completely dissolved. Add the cassava leaves and bring to a boil by turning the heat to high for approximately 1 minute.
4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the leaves are soft. Add the nokoss and habanero pepper, if using. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and continue simmering for a further 10–15 minutes.
5. Return the cooked and shredded chicken to the stew. Add the chopped okra, if using, and palm oil and gently stir with a wooden spoon, being careful not to crush the habanero pepper into the stew (or else it may be too spicy). Simmer for another 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasoning, remove the habanero pepper, and set aside.
6. Serve over fonio or rice. The habanero pepper can be served on the side, if desired.
Find more chicken recipes here
Photographer: Rich Kissi
