Cocoyam leaves
Also called: macabo leaves, tannia leaves, ekwang leaves, Xanthosoma sagittifolium
Cocoyam leaves are the large, heart-shaped leaves of the macabo plant, the same plant that gives the starchy tuber. Picked young, they are soft and bright green, and once cooked they turn mild and silky, a little like spinach.
In Cameroon they are best known for ekwang, a South-West dish in which grated cocoyam is rolled up in the leaves and simmered slowly in red palm oil with spices and fish or meat. The leaves do two jobs here: they hold each roll together and they become part of the sauce. Lumo has one recipe that uses them: ekwang.
Pick young, supple leaves with no spots or holes. Wash them, cut out the thick central vein if it is tough, and always cook them through. Raw or undercooked cocoyam leaves leave an itchy, scratchy feeling in the mouth and throat. Keep them in the fridge wrapped in a damp cloth and use them within a day or two. Abroad, African and Asian grocers sometimes stock frozen cocoyam or taro leaves. Spinach gets you close on flavour, but it is too delicate to roll ekwang, so you would have to cook the grated cocoyam in small heaps instead of neat parcels.
Recipes with this ingredient
- Ekwang Sud-Ouest · 2 hr 30 min
A South-West speciality: grated cocoyam wrapped in tender cocoyam leaves and slow-cooked with smoked fish, crayfish and red palm oil.