Pascaline Lisembe prepares cassava, which is one of her husband's favorite dishes, at her home in Portland. Lisembe is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and her husband is stuck in South Africa while she awaits hearings on her asylum status.

Lisembe chops onion for her cassava dish. Cassava is a stew made from the leaves of the cassava plant. In Lisemba’s village, it’s eaten with rice and either fish or dried monkey meat.

Lisembe unpackages frozen cassava leaves, which will be the main ingredient for the stew.

Lisembe prepares pape, also known as fufu, from cornmeal to be served with cassava, a stew made from the leaves of the cassava plant.

Lisembe finds a measuring spoon for palm oil as she prepares the meal.

Cassava leaves boil with eggplant, spring onion, green pepper and cabbage.

Lisembe chops green peppers for the dish.

Lisembe pours palm oil into the stew.

Pape, also known as fufu, cooks in a pot in Lisembe's Portland home. She has not seen her husband since she left South African in 2014.

Pap, known also as fufu, is eaten with the cassava stew.