What we at Asempe Kitchen, a hub for West African food and cooking classes in Ithaca, call “Egusi stew” is actually known by two other names in Ghana:
Kontomire Froyi - aka Cocoyam Leaf Stew - usually cooked in palm oil with all types of meat and/or dried fish, made with or without agushie (aka egusi - the melon seed for which the dish is named)
-OR-
Palava Sauce (I'll have to ask my mom why!)
I chose to use the more common Nigerian name: Egusi Stew, which is much easier to pronounce and spell.
There is another version of Kontomire called Abom. Abom is a delight to behold. It is the equivalent to a hot pot except it's not brought to the table on a flame. It is presented in an earthenware pot called an Asanka or an apotoryiwa. Abom is the cocoyam leaves freshly steamed topped with palm oil, a boiled egg, steamed koobi (salted tilapia), and boiled yam and plantain.
On my most recent visit to Ghana this past March, my sister and I shared an asanka of Abom. The first time I had Abom growing up was with my nanny and caregiver, Aunty Mercy. She was loving and warm and cuddly and huggy, the antithesis of my experience of maternal British Grandmother. She usually ate her meals separate from our family so one night my sister and I snuck out to the backyard to watch her cook and sneak bits of her meal. That night she was having Abom. It was too earthy, too indigenous, to make it to our British dining table so until then we had not had it.
So you see, Egusi stew in Ghana has quite a few iterations. I have come to settle on my plant-based one and all my other plant-based dishes because eating plant-based makes anything I cook accessible to all, from vegans to omnivores. When some Africans ask me why I don't make the dishes the traditional way, I tell them, so everyone can enjoy it. You can always add meat or fish if you must, but the plant-based eater can't simply remove a piece of meat. Through our cooking classes in Ithaca, we aim to share this inclusive approach to West African food with everyone.
