Pork strips with egusi sauce and spinach - Jonathan Nsogo

Preparation time:
50 minutes

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 200 g pumpkin seeds
• 250 g spinach
• Palm oil
• 4 fresh tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 2 onions
• 500 g pork strips
• Ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper
• 1 stock cube (meat or vegetable)
• 400 g penne or other pasta
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced

Preparation:

1. Chop the onions, garlic and ginger. Finely dice the tomatoes. Mix the pumpkin seeds with some water in a blender to make a paste. Set these aside.

2. Heat a saucepan with a little palm oil and fry the onions, garlic and ginger. Add the diced tomatoes and fry for a while, then add the stock cube, put the lid on the pot and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.

3. Stir in the chopped red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes. Then add the pumpkin seed mixture and the spinach, stir-frying for another 3 minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Boil the penne in salted water until al dente.

4. Briefly fry the pork strips over high heat, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with half the spring onion.  Mix the meat with the sauce and serve with the pasta, sprinkle with the remaining spring onion and serve immediately.