P is for “Pemahun” or “Pema-huii”

"Pemahun"

Hello readers! Hope you all had a lovely weekend. In today’s post, I made my favourite Southern Sierra Leone dish. This dish originates from the Mende tribe. “Pemahun” or “Pema-huii” as the Mendes will pronounce it is, a simple vegetarian dish that is quick and easy to prepare. It is made with rice, sweet potato leaves, palm oil, scotch pepper, African Eggplant (Jakato) and maggie for seasoning flavor. Most people like to compliment this dish with “benni” and/or “kainda”. These are popular powdered condiments eaten in Sierra Leone. “Benni” is made from sesame seeds and “kainda” is made from the seeds of the locust fruit. See below for steps on how to prepare this tasty Southern “Sa Lone” dish. Aprons On!

 Ingredients

1. Cup of Rice 
2. Bunch of Potato leaves (sweet)
3. Palm Oil
4. Scotch Pepper
5. African Eggplant (Jakato)
6. Maggie Season

Potato leaves and pepper steaming with rice

Cooking Instructions

1. Wash and chop the potato leaves finely. Not too fine but medium and put aside.
2. Boil jakato until soft and put aside.
3. Bring 500ml of water to boil
4. Wash Rice and add to boiling water
5. After the rice is boiled and almost all the water evaporated, turn the heat down to finish the cooking by steam.
6. Add potato leaves and scotch pepper onto the steaming rice.
7. You do not want the leaves to be over cooked therefore, leave the pot to steam for about 5 min or until the leaves look slightly brown. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Jakato and pepper ready for blending

   
   
   
   
   
   
   Preparing the side sauce
   1.  Once the leaves and pepper is cooked, chop the cooked jakato in chucks and put in a blender with the scotch pepper and blend together.
   2.  Add maggie for season.

Blended jakato and pepper

Voila! Aprons off dish is done!

 

“Pemahun”