# Sombe

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{{Short description|Ugandan stew made from Cassava leaves}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Sombe
| name_lang = Sombe
| type = Stew
| course = Main course
| place_of_origin = Rwenzururu Kingdom
| region = Western Uganda
| mintime = 120 minutes
| maxtime = 180
| main_ingredient = Pounded Cassava leaves, Palm oil, Fish or a type of Meat
| minor_ingredient = Curry powder, Tomatoes, Garlic, vegetables, Onions, okra, ground nuts, spinach, lenga-lenga (amaranth leaves), green paper, ginger, red pepper, tomatoes, pumpkin leaves, salt, eggplants
| name_italics = Cassava leaves stew
| image = Sombe sauce with meat and ovacado 01 (cropped).jpg
| alt = Sombe stew with meat and ovacado
| caption = Sombe stew with meat and avocado
}}

'''Sombe''' also known as '''Cassava leaves stew''' is a type of stew native to the [Bakonzo](/source/Konjo_people) in Uganda and also in the Eastern [DRC](/source/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo), [Burudians](/source/Burundi), [Banyarwanda](/source/Banyarwanda).<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Strange insect raids Kasese gardens |url=https://www.newvision.co.ug/articledetails/NV_127862 |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=New Vision |date=24 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2021-01-09 |title=Cassava; an all-round delicacy |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/life/cassava-an-all-round-delicacy-1557226 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Monitor |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Savory Congo Delight: A Taste of Tradition with Sombe |url=https://inventedrecipes.com/recipe/54/savory-congo-delight-a-taste-of-tradition-with-sombe |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=inventedrecipes.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2024-02-02 |title=Earn From Cassava Leaves – Harvest Money |url=https://www.harvestmoney.co.ug/earn-from-cassava-leaves/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> It is traditionally made from freshly mashed cassava leaves as the main ingredient mixed with either fish or ground nuts paste or any type of meat such as beef, goat's meet, pork.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-01-05 |title=Goma's first five-star hotel chef |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/magazine/goma-s-first-five-star-hotel-chef-3673142 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=The East African |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2021-01-09 |title=How a bar and church keep the congolese united |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/life/how-a-bar-and-church-keep-the-congolese-united-1541434 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Monitor |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> Sombe is served majorly with Bundu (also known as mingled [Tapioca](/source/Tapioca), Kalo (In  [Luganda](/source/Luganda)), fufu (in [Lingala](/source/Lingala)) but it can also be served with rice, [posho](/source/posho), [matooke](/source/Matoke), Ggonja ([plantain](/source/List_of_banana_cultivars)).<ref name=":1" />

== Ingredients ==
'''The main ingredients of sombe include''';

* Fresh pound [cassava leaves](/source/Cassava), [palm oil](/source/palm_oil),<ref name=":6" /> dried or smoked [fish](/source/fish), one or more type of [meat](/source/meat) such as pork, beef.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-09 |title=A day at Ggaba Landing Site |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/people-power/a-day-at-ggaba-landing-site-1657082 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Monitor |language=en}}</ref>

'''Other ingredients that can be used included;'''

* Onions, [okra](/source/okra),  [ground nuts](/source/Peanut), [spinach](/source/spinach), lenga-lenga (amaranth leaves), green pepper, red pepper,ginger, garlic, tomatoes, pumpkin leaves, salt, egg plants, banana inflorescence (Banana flowers).<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Sombe: Cassava Leaves Recipe - an 826 Boston student writing piece |url=https://826boston.org/student-work/sombe-cassava-leaves-recipe/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=826 Boston |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

== Preparation of Sombe ==
Sombe is commonly prepared by the [Bakonzo](/source/Konjo_people). But it is also prepared by the Congolese,<ref name=":0" /> the Rwandese <ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-05 |title=Celebrating East African culture at Mavuno Yetu |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/lifestyle/reviews-profiles/celebrating-east-african-culture-at-mavuno-yetu-1589390 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=Monitor |language=en}}</ref> and also other tribes in Uganda.

=== Picking of the cassava leaves ===
The young and tender cassava leaves with their leaf stalks are picked from the garden at anytime of the day but it is recommended that they are harvested in the morning so that they can be sun dried for 1 to 3 hours to reduce on the [sap](/source/sap) content in them.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sophie |date=2016-09-12 |title=Sombe (Cassava Leaves) Soup |url=https://akitcheninuganda.com/2016/09/12/sombe-cassava-leaves-soup/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=A Kitchen In Uganda |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> If the leaves are not sun dried, they can be dry fried in a saucepan which is on fire to reduce the sap content in the leaves. The cassava buds and top two cassava leaves are recommended to be harvested as they are soft and will take a shorter time to get ready when cooked.

=== Mashing/pounding of the cassava leaves ===

* Before pounding the softened young tender cassava leaves, the leaf stalks have to be plucked off from the leaves themselves.
* The leaves are then washed using hot/warm water to remove small insects and snails, [pupa](/source/pupa), [dust](/source/dust) and debris.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" />
* Then the leaves are put in an either a wooden or metallic [mortar](/source/Mortar_and_pestle) and pounded until they soften.<ref name=":2" /> To make the leaves soften faster, other ingredients such as [yam](/source/Yam_(vegetable)) leaves, [spinach](/source/spinach) or the inner white part of the banana plant bud (that is gotten after peeling of the dark reddish-purple modified leaves called bracts that is commonly known as Banana Inflorescence or banana fruit  or Empumumpu (in Luganda)) are pounded together with pounded cassava leaves in the same mortar until the mix up.

=== Cooking of the pounded cassava leaves ===
After pounding the cassava leaves, it is optional to re-wash the leaves before they are put in a boiling pot or sauce pan. There two ways of boiling the sombe and these are;

==== Cooking of sombe using palm oil ====
Palm oil is poured in a sauce pan or pot and boiled on medium heat until it is ready and water is added to it.<ref name=":3" /> The mixture is put on fire until the water boils. Then the pounded cassava leaves are then added to the boiling water - palm oil mixture and it is boiled for about 40 minutes to 1 hour until it is ready.<ref name=":2" /> When boiling the sauce pan is not covered so that the [Hydrocyanic acid (HCN)](/source/Hydrocyanic_acid) evaporates from boiling pounded cassava leaves.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />

==== Cooking using vegetable oil ====
Sombe can be cooked using vegetable oil as an alternative to palm oil.

=== Adding of the other spices ===
Other spices such as tomatoes, garlic, salt, curry powder, vegetables, green paper, red pepper among others are first prepared separately in another pot ot sauce either by boiling or frying them. They are added to the boiled cassava leaves when the meat or fish is being added. Or they can be added about 15 to 10 minutes before adding the meat, fish or peanuts.<ref name=":3" /> Even raw spices such as onions, garlic can be added to the boiled cassava leaves.<ref name=":4" />

=== Adding of the meat or fish or ground nuts to the boiled cassava leaves ===

==== Adding the fish ====
The smoked or dried salted fish commonly known as Makayabu has to be first soaked in warm water to reduce on the salt content as the salt will dissolve in the warm or hot water and also soften that fish.The soaked fish is then added to the already boiled cassava leaves and then it is again boiled for one hour and the result is Sombe.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" />

==== Adding a type of meat ====
The chosen type of meat such as [pork](/source/pork), [beef](/source/beef), [goat meat](/source/goat_meat) is first prepared separately before adding it in the already boiled cassava leaves. It can be first roasted, boiled and then fried until it is ready or it can be roasted and then deep fried in cooking oil. The ready meat is then added to the already boiled cassava leaves and then it is again boiled for one hour and the result is Sombe.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" />

==== Adding [peanut](/source/peanut)s ====
For the people who do not eat meat, peanuts are usually added to the sombe. They are first ground into a paste which is then mixed with water and stirred to make a syrup. When the cassava leaves are ready, they are mixed with the peanut syrup and boiled for about 40 minutes to 1 hour.<ref name=":3" />
alt=Sombe sauce served with kalo and avocado|border|thumb|Sombe sauce served with kalo and avocado

=== Serving sombe ===
Sombe is served hot with rice, Kalo (mingled tapioca),sweet potatoes, boiled cassava, posho among other foods of ones choice.<ref name=":2" />

== See also ==

* [List of stews](/source/List_of_stews)
* Food portal
* [Eshabwe](/source/Eshabwe)
* [Malewa](/source/Malewa)
* [Firinda](/source/Firinda)
* [Kikomando](/source/Kikomando)

== External links ==

*[https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/life/cassava-an-all-round-delicacy-1557226 Daily Monitor: Cassava; an all-round delicacy]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=LCwueWa3LsQ&ab_channel=JustLibby Just Libby: How To Cook 🇧🇮&🇷🇼 Cassava Leaves (SOMBE)]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Ugandan cuisine
Category:Meat stews
Category:Fish stews
Category:National dishes
Category:Ugandan stews

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sombe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombe) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombe?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.