Romavaza
Romavaza is a dish of zebu, local meat similar to beef, cooked Madagascar style with paracress, a particular type of local greens, and served with rice. We have substituted zebu meat with beef, easier to find out of Africa, and the greens with watercress because of its piquant flavor.
Ingredients
Instructions
Heat up lard in a pot and brown the meat until seared. Add crushed garlic and stir for a minute, then add chopped tomato and season with coarse salt and black peppercorns.
Pour water into the pot and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.
After an hour, add watrecress, or the leafy vegetables used, and simmer for another 30 min.
Notes
Add boiling water, optionally, if cooking liquid evaporates too fast.. Romavaza can also be prepared with a mix of beef and pork: 2/3 beef, 1/3 pork. For a variation, add some finely chopped onion or ginger together with the crushed garlic.Other local herbs, such as Madagascar variety of non stinging nettles, can also be added as seasoning together with the greens.
Source
Use paracress (acmella oleracea) also known as toothache plant or brèdes mafane in some exotic grocers, to get closer to the true Madagascar flavor. This is the type of green used for romavaza and it has a very distinctive peppery flavor.
Both flowers and leaves can be used, be careful, however, as the flowers have a much stronger flavor than the leaves. If using these greens, ther advise is not to add flowers the first time you prepare this recipe.
Food in Africa