Romazava recipe

Madagascar national broth, defined by brede mafana whose flower buds carry spilanthol and leave the tongue tingling and numb.

2 hourseasy9 ingredients

Ingredients

• 2 bunch brede mafana
• 750 g beef chuck
• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 3 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

How to make Romazava

1. Cut 750 g of beef chuck into large cubes. Zebu is the traditional meat, a well-marbled cut stands in for it.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy pot and soften 2 chopped onions, 3 crushed garlic cloves and a tablespoon of grated ginger for 5 minutes.
3. Add the beef and let it colour on all sides, then add 2 chopped tomatoes and cook until they collapse.
4. Pour in 1 litre of water, salt, and simmer covered for 1 hour 30 until the meat gives under a fork. The broth stays clear, romazava means clear broth.
5. Wash 2 bunches of brede mafana and keep the yellow flower buds, they hold the spilanthol that numbs the tongue. Without them the dish is simply a beef stew.
6. Stir 1 bunch of chopped mustard greens into the broth and cook 5 minutes.
7. Add the brede mafana, leaves and buds, and cook 5 minutes more, no longer, or the tingle fades.
8. Taste for salt and serve in deep bowls with plain white rice.

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