Etouffée de brèdes songe et sardines (stewed taro leaves with sardines)

Etouffée de brèdes songe et sardines (stewed taro leaves with sardines)

Ingredients:
500 grams taro leaves & stems
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon crushed ginger
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
without seeds
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon salt
Optional: 2 fresh or dried red chillies
sliced lengthwise
110 grams canned sardines
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:
Dissolve the tamarind paste in 1/2 cup of hot water. Put aside.
Wash the taro leaves and stems in cold running water. Using plastic gloves, cut the taro leaves in 2-3 cm pieces. Cut the stems into 2 cm pieces and carefully remove the stringy bits.
Put 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. When hot, stir fry the crushed garlic, crushed ginger and finely chopped onion. Cook over medium heat until the finely chopped onion pieces become transparent. Gradually add the cut taro leaves and stem pieces. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir in and reduce the heat to medium low. Add 1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste) and stir well together. Keep stirring until the collapsed taro leaves and stems blend in with the chopped tomato pieces. If necessary add some hot water to stop the taro leaves from burning.
Cover saucepan and allow to cook for 30 minutes or until the taro leaves are cooked to a creamy consistency and changes to a dark colour. Refer to photo. Stir at regular intervals and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to re-incorporate the sticky bits into the mix if necessary. Watch carefully to make sure the cooking taro leaves and other ingredients do not stick and burn. Add some hot water if necessary. Stir in the tamarind paste in hot water. Mix well and allow to cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes.
If the cooked taro leaves and other ingredients become too watery, you can allow the stew to simmer uncovered over low heat to reduce the water content to your preference. Optional: Stir in the sliced red chillies and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.
Drain the canned sardines. Remove the backbones from the sardines. Just before serving, add the canned sardines into the taro étouffée. Mix well without crushing the sardines.
Serve over boiled rice or with rotis and faratas. Enjoy.