Plate 04 of 10

Metemgee

The Afro-Guyanese provision pot. Cassava, eddoes, sweet potato and both green and ripe plantain simmered in thick coconut milk with thyme, garlic, salt fish and a whole wiri wiri, staggered by starch so nothing dissolves, and crowned in the last twenty minutes with duffs, flour dumplings steamed on top of the vegetables until they double into clouds.

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 45 min
Serves: 6 to 8
Difficulty: Medium

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

Metemgee of pale duff dumplings, cassava, plantain and pumpkin in a creamy coconut broth, with a small dish of shredded saltfish behind.

Metemgee, often spelled metagee, is the heart of Afro-Guyanese provision cooking. It grew from West African pottage traditions on the provision grounds freed villagers planted along the coast: sweet cassava, white eddoes, yam, sweet potato and plantain.

Its character is the coconut liquor, thick and fragrant with wild thyme, garlic and salt fish, in which the roots simmer in stages. In the last twenty minutes the duffs go on top, plump flour dumplings that steam in the coconut vapour and rise into pillowy buns that soak up the starch-rich sauce.

Ingredients

Provisions
350 gSalted cod or salted beef, boiled and flaked into large pieces
400 gCassava, peeled, woody core removed, in 5 cm chunks
300 gWhite eddoes, peeled and halved
350 gSweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 3 cm rounds
300 gGreen plantains, peeled and cut into 3 cm diagonal chunks
200 gRipe yellow plantain, peeled and cut into 3 cm diagonal chunks
Liquid and aromatics
700 mlThick coconut milk
500 mlWater or unsalted fish stock
1 mediumYellow onion, finely diced
5 clovesGarlic, crushed and minced
4 sprigsBroad-leaf thyme, bruised
1 wholeWiri wiri pepper, whole with stem
15 mlOil
3 gFreshly cracked black pepper
to tasteFine sea saltafter assessing the salt fish
Duffs
250 gPlain flour
10 gBaking powder
15 gGranulated sugar
160 mlCold water

Two tiers of starch

Green plantain and cassava carry dense starches that need thirty minutes at 90 °C. Sweet potato and ripe plantain soften in under fifteen. They go in ten minutes apart, so the sweet ones are not mush by the time the cassava yields.

Duffs are steamed, not boiled

The dumplings sit on top of the protruding vegetables, above the liquid. Under a tight lid the coconut steam sets off the baking powder and the gluten sets around the gas into a spongy crumb that drinks the aroma without going gummy. Submerged, they turn to paste.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is the brined cod and a little salted water. Fat is thick coconut milk glossing every tuber. Acid is the sweet plantain and allium against the richness. Heat is the whole pepper's floral warmth. Umami is dried cod, caramelised alliums and the earthy sweetness of cassava and eddo.

Equipment

6 to 7-quart wide enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven with a tight lid
Foil
Saucepan, for the salt fish

The pot must be wide, so the vegetables spread out and the duffs have room to double on top. The Guyanese caldero is wide and deep for exactly this.

Method

Desalt the fish12 min
Cover the salt fish with cold water, boil 10 minutes, drain, rinse, and flake into large chunks.
Cover the salt fish with cold water, boil 10 minutes, drain, rinse, and flake into large chunks.
Sweat the aromatics3 min
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic and thyme 3 minutes until fragrant.
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic and thyme 3 minutes until fragrant.
First tier and simmer15 min
Add the cassava, green plantain and eddoes. Pour in the coconut milk and water; it should just cover the vegetables. Float the whole wiri wiri. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
Add the cassava, green plantain and eddoes. Pour in the coconut milk and water; it should just cover the vegetables. Float the whole wiri wiri. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
Second tier10 min
Add the sweet potato, ripe plantain and flaked fish, pressing them gently between the firmer pieces. Simmer 10 minutes.
Add the sweet potato, ripe plantain and flaked fish, pressing them gently between the firmer pieces. Simmer 10 minutes.
Mix and shape the duffs5 min
Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir in the cold water quickly to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not over-work it. Divide into six and shape with floured hands into smooth, slightly flattened ovals.
Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt. Quickly stir in cold water to a soft, slightly sticky dough without overworking. Divide into six; with floured hands, shape smooth, slightly flattened ovals.
Steam the duffs18 min
Set the duffs directly on top of the protruding vegetables, above the liquid. Cover with foil, clamp the lid down, reduce to low, and steam 18 minutes without opening.
Set the duffs directly on top of the protruding vegetables, above the liquid. Cover with foil, clamp the lid down, reduce to low, and steam 18 minutes without opening.
Check and serve5 min
The duffs should have doubled and spring back when pressed; the vegetables should be fork-tender. Rest 5 minutes. Lift the duffs onto plates, ladle the vegetables and fish alongside, and spoon the coconut sauce over everything.
Check duffs have doubled and spring back when pressed, and vegetables are fork-tender. Rest 5 minutes. Plate duffs, vegetables and fish; spoon the coconut sauce over everything.
08
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: a creamy pale-ivory coconut broth around white cassava, green plantain and yellow sweet potato, crowned with enormous fluffy white duffs.
- Auditory: a thick, gentle bubble under the sealed lid as the coconut milk reduces to a glaze.
- Olfactory: sweet coconut cream, wild thyme, alliums and earthy boiled roots.
Look for pale ivory coconut sauce around cassava, plantains and sweet potato, topped with large fluffy white duffs. Expect gentle thick bubbling beneath the lid and coconut, thyme, allium and cooked-root aromas.

Troubleshooting

Dense, gummy duffs.: They were submerged. Rest them on the vegetables above the liquid so they cook in steam only.
Sweet potatoes and ripe plantain dissolved.: They went in with the cassava. Firm roots first, delicate ones ten minutes later.
Oil and curds in the broth.: The coconut milk boiled hard uncovered. Keep a gentle, covered simmer.

Substitutions

One-to-one swaps, with the technique change each one needs.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
White eddoes	Small taro corms or Japanese satoimo	One-to-one
Salt cod	Salted pollock, smoked haddock, or fresh red snapper laid on top for the last 12 minutes	One-to-one; fresh fish goes in with the duffs
Broad-leaf thyme	Cuban oregano or fresh Mexican oregano	One-to-one

Scaling

Half

Halve the vegetables, fish and coconut milk and make three duffs in a 4-quart pot. Steaming stays at 18 minutes.

Double

Double everything in a very wide 12 to 14-quart pot so all twelve duffs fit across the surface.

What to serve it with

Extra steamed duffs
Sliced avocado
Lime and wiri wiri pepper sauce
Ginger beer, lemongrass tea, or an amber Banks

Questions

Can I use fresh fish?

Yes. Season a firm white fish with garlic and thyme and lay it on the vegetables with the duffs for the last 12 minutes.

What does metemgee mean?

It comes from West African coastal languages and loosely means a mixture of provisions, food of good taste and plenty.

Can I bake the duffs separately?

You can, but steamed over the pot they take on the coconut and thyme vapour, and that is the flavour.