Sukuma Wiki — Kenyan Braised Greens
Kenyan braised collard greens with onion and tomato — the quick, cheap side dish whose name means "stretch the week".
Method
- Stack the greens a few leaves at a time, roll them into a tight cigar and slice across into thin ribbons about 5mm wide. Even, fine shredding is what gives sukuma wiki its texture.
- Wash the shredded greens in plenty of cold water and drain well; grit hides in the folds.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and just beginning to colour.
- Add the garlic and cumin and stir for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes until they break down into a thick base and the oil separates.
- Add the greens in handfuls, stirring each batch until it wilts and makes room for the next.
- Pour in the water, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once, until the greens are tender but still deep green.
- Uncover and cook for 2 minutes more to drive off any watery liquid left in the pan.
- Finish with lemon juice off the heat and taste for salt. Serve hot with ugali, rice or grilled meat.
How to make Sukuma Wiki — Kenyan Braised Greens
Sukuma wiki translates roughly as “stretch the week”, and that is exactly its role: an inexpensive pan of greens that makes a small amount of ugali or meat go further. It is probably the most frequently cooked vegetable dish in Kenya.
Shred thin
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The greens are rolled and sliced into fine ribbons rather than torn. Thin shreds cook quickly and evenly, pick up the tomato base, and give the dish the texture people expect. Thick pieces stay tough in the middle and need far longer in the pan.
Keep the colour
Cook the greens only until tender. Eight minutes covered is usually enough; beyond that the colour dulls to olive and the flavour flattens. The final uncovered minutes should evaporate the liquid rather than continue cooking the leaves.
Which greens
Collard greens are traditional, but curly kale, cavolo nero or spring greens all work with small timing adjustments. Spinach needs barely two minutes and far less liquid, since it releases so much of its own.
Serving
Ugali and sukuma wiki is the classic pairing, often with nyama choma or fried fish. A squeeze of lemon at the end is not traditional in every household, but it lifts the dish noticeably.
Traditional Kenyan cookery; sukuma wiki accompanies ugali in homes across the country. Editorially researched from widely documented preparations, and not kitchen-tested by Axadle.
Naturally free from gluten, dairy, egg and nuts. Check stock cubes for wheat and celery.
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