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Recipe
for pumpkin leaves cooked with groundnuts
A
healthy African recipe
By Imfwama Wotela
Summary: There
are several dishes from Africa that are very
simple to cook, have tremendous nutritious value,
and use natural ingredients. Pumpkin leaves
and groundnuts cooked together make a great
dish. Look for a ethnic grocery store to buy
pumpkin leaves. (Related article: You
may also try to eat pumpkin seeds)
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In order to maintain a balanced diet, we should eat all types of vegetables including wild ones because at least everyone can afford these and they typically tend to be quite nutritious. Especially during the rainy season, there are a lot of
wild vegetables and fruit available. The important thing is to know the difference between the edible ones and the poisonous ones. So it is best to buy them at a store though you can always go on a hike in the forest with someone who knows and pick it yourself.
One of the favorite dishes to be eaten with
Nshima is the one mixed with groundnuts. It is a very nutritious dish. I will show you how to prepare pumpkin leaves with groundnut powder. |
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Ingredients
Pumpkin leaves 1/2kg (1.1 lbs)
Pounded groundnuts 1 cup
Cooking oil 1 table spoon
Tomato 1
Water 500 ml (20 oz.)
You will also require
a non-stick or enamel pot and a wooden cooking spoon.
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Peel and wash the leaves thoroughly, preferably under a running tap. Put in a pot and add half a teaspoon of salt. Cover and boil; do not add water or open the pot until it starts steaming (~ 5 minutes). If you do open, it will become hard and the taste will not be nice. When you see that it is boiling, stir and then add the tomato (peeled and chopped) and cover again. Let it boil for another 5 minutes. Keep checking so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the tomato is cooked, add one tablespoon of cooking oil (do not add too much oil as the groundnuts are rich in fat already). Stir the nut powder and add a full cup of water. Stir and boil it at low heat to allow the groundnut powder to cook. This should take about 15 minutes. Then add half a cup of water and stir and cook for another 15 minutes. When the water reduces you will have a nice thick paste and aroma. It is ready to serve. Once done, serve hot with ‘Nshima’ or ‘Maize meal’.
Recommended article: Cuban cooking
Pumpkin
fritters Steamed
cabbage |
