Sauce Graine

Ingredients

• 1kg fresh palm nuts, or 800g tinned palm nut concentrate
• 600g beef or goat, cut into chunks
• 300g smoked fish
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 African aubergines, quartered
• 4 okra pods, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers
• 2 stock cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 litres water

Before you cook

• Cut the beef into 4cm chunks.
• Quarter one onion and dice the other.
• Crush the garlic cloves.
• Quarter the aubergines and slice the okra.
• Chop the tomatoes and break the smoked fish into large pieces.

Steps

1. Put the fresh palm nuts in a large pot, cover them with water, and boil hard for 45 minutes until the flesh peels back from the stones.
2. Drain the nuts and pound them in a mortar until the orange pulp separates from the fibre and kernels.
3. Pour 1 litre of hot water over the pounded pulp and work it through with your hands.
4. Strain the liquid into a clean pot through a sieve, pressing hard, and throw away the fibre.
5. Put the meat in a second pot with the diced onion, one stock cube and 500ml of water.
6. Simmer the meat for 40 minutes, until it gives under a fork.
7. Bring the palm liquid to a rolling boil and cook it uncovered for 25 minutes, until it reduces and red oil rises to the surface.
8. Blend the quartered onion, garlic, tomatoes and one scotch bonnet with 100ml of water.
9. Stir that blend into the boiling palm liquid.
10. Add the meat with its stock, the smoked fish and the second stock cube.
11. Drop in the aubergine, the okra and the second whole scotch bonnet.
12. Simmer for 25 minutes, until the aubergine collapses and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
13. Season with the salt and leave the red oil sitting on top, because that is the point of the dish.
14. Serve it over foutou banane or plain rice.