Metemgee

About This Recipe

Metemgee (also spelled Metem-gee or Metagee) is a thick, deeply nourishing Afro-Guyanese stew of assorted root vegetables and green plantain cooked together in a seasoned coconut milk broth, often served with fried fish, dumplings, or salted fish. The dish has its roots in African cooking traditions and shares similarities with other Caribbean coconut-root vegetable dishes. The combination of dasheen (taro), eddoe, cassava, yam, and plantain creates a hearty, sustaining meal where the vegetables break down slightly to thicken the coconut broth into a glorious, cream-rich sauce.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 200 gcassava, peeled and cut into chunks
• 200 gdasheen (taro), peeled and cubed
• 200 gyam, peeled and cubed
• 1green plantain, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 2 canscoconut milk (800 ml total)
• 250 mlwater
• 1large onion, sliced
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2 stalksfresh thyme
• 1wiri wiri or scotch bonnet pepper, left whole
• 400 gsalted fish or fresh white fish fillets
• 1 cupplain flour (for dumplings)
• ½ tspsalt (for dumplings)
• waterto make dumplings
• 1 tspsalt, to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dumplings

   Mix flour and salt with enough water (about 4–5 tbsp) to form a stiff dough. Pinch off small pieces and roll into oval shapes. Set aside.

2. 2

   Prepare the coconut broth

   Pour coconut milk and water into a large, wide pot. Add onion, garlic, thyme, and the whole pepper. Bring to a gentle boil.

3. 3

   Add root vegetables

   Add cassava, dasheen, yam, and plantain to the boiling coconut broth. Season with salt. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes until vegetables are nearly tender.

4. 4

   Add dumplings and fish

   Add the dumplings and the fish (if using salted fish, soak 30 minutes first to reduce salt). Cook a further 15 minutes until dumplings are cooked through and fish is flaky.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Remove the whole pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in deep bowls — the broth should be thick and creamy from the starchy vegetables.

Variations

• •

  Full vegetarian: omit fish and use vegetable stock; add extra dumplings.

• •

  Add breadfruit chunks if available — they are a traditional and delicious addition.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days (root vegetables become softer over time). Best eaten on the day it is made.

Frequently Asked Questions