I learned to make this sukuma wiki recipe from a Kenyan chef while I was on a recent safari. It's a quick and simple side dish that is traditionally served alongside ugali, a dense cornmeal porridge. It's a delicious way to ensure you eat your greens!
Quick and simple
Can be made with any sturdy greens
Full of nutrition
And delicious too!
What Is Sukuma Wiki?
Kate over at the blog "We Eat At Last" has a traditional sukuma wiki recipe from their childhood. Read Kate's post for more information about this African greens recipe. They explain that sukuma wiki, the name for collard greens in Swahili, actually translates to "stretch the week" in English. This was traditionally an inexpensive recipe that could be made with a simple vegetable when other food sources were running low.
Although collard greens are most often used, you could use any sturdy green vegetable for this recipe. Chef William actually used previously frozen spinach when he showed me how to make this. I have also used kale and really enjoyed that version. Even chard would work well.
Ingredients For This Sukuma Wiki Recipe
As mentioned above, this recipe can be quite versatile. It's a great way for you to use up any sturdy greens you might have.
This sukuma wiki recipe requires:
- Collard greens or any sturdy greens like kale or spinach - I have instructions in the recipe card for using both fresh or frozen greens.
- Onion - I use red onion but you could use yellow onion.
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Vegetable broth or half of a vegetable bouillon cube. Vegetable bouillon is often crumbled over the greens for flavour. I use just a little bit of vegetable broth instead which also helps the fresh greens steam and wilt.
- And a splash of soy milk which helps to take away any bitterness from the greens.
Method
If using fresh greens, start by washing them thoroughly and if using collards or kale, remove the stems. Then slice your greens as thinly as you can and chop them into smaller pieces. If you are a fast chopper you will be able to get the other ingredients cooking in the skillet and chop up your greens while the tomatoes cook down.
To cook the sukuma wiki:
- Saute the onion for a couple of minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Then add the garlic.
- Next, you will add a couple of diced tomatoes and let them cook down for about 5 minutes until softened.
- If using frozen greens make sure they have been defrosted and drained before adding them to the skillet. Previously frozen greens will just need to heat through but fresh greens can be added in with a splash of vegetable broth to help them steam and wilt. If your skillet has a lid, then covering the greens for a few minutes can help them to wilt down faster but typically they cook down in about 5 minutes.
- If you have not added vegetable broth you can crumble half of a vegetable bouillon cube in for flavour OR just taste the greens and season them to your liking with salt and any other spices you like.
- Finally, splash in a couple of tablespoons of soy milk to take away any bitter taste.
Serving This Sukuma Wiki Recipe
Traditionally, sukuma wiki is often served alongside ugali which is a dense porridge made from maize flour or fine white cornmeal. Ugali is very quick and simple to make so definitely jump over to my recipe to stir some up alongside your African greens!
I find this sukuma wiki recipe to be such a great way to get greens into our diet so I serve it alongside various dishes. I think of it as an alternative to making a green salad!
Consider serving it with my githeri, which is a Kenyan corn and beans stew. Ugali could step in to replace rice, sukuma wiki could diversify your veggies, and fresh chapati could make the whole thing a Kenyan feast!
Recipe Cost
This recipe, using one bunch of collard greens (140 grams), comfortably serves 2 and costs me approximately $4.40 Canadian.
In the notes section of the recipe card I encourage you to increase the serving size to 4 by simply doubling the amount of greens used. Chef William used a larger quantity of previously frozen spinach when he showed me how to make this recipe. In this case, the greens will just feature more prominently than the other vegetables but the dish will still be delicious.
This way, if you want to increase the portion size you can keep your cost down by not necessarily requiring you to double the tomato etc.
Let me know in the comments below if you try this sukuma wiki recipe and what you serve it with!
Print
Sukuma Wiki - Simple Kenyan Collard Greens
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This sukuma wiki recipe is a simple side dish of sautéed collard greens, kale, or spinach. Quick to prepare & perfect alongside Kenyan ugali!
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 45 g red onion, diced (about ⅓ cup)*
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (2-4 depending on size)
- 150 g tomatoes, diced (about 2 smaller tomatoes)*
- 1 bunch collard greens, spinach, or kale (140g, see notes for stretching recipe to 4 servings)*
- ¼ cup vegetable broth (or half of a vegetable bouillon cube)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp soy milk (to take away any bitterness)
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Wash your greens. If using collard greens or kale, remove the stems. (Reserve the stems and use them in another recipe).
- Roll the leaves into a cigar shape and slice them thinly. Then slice them in the other direction so they are not long strips. If using spinach, simply chop the spinach up into smaller pieces. (If using frozen greens, defrost and drain them before proceeding with the rest of the recipe).
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet and cook the onion for 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant. You can season with a little bit of salt every time you add a new ingredient to the skillet.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Next, add the diced tomatoes and cook until they are soft, about 3 minutes. Stir periodically.
- If using fresh greens and vegetable broth, add the greens to the pan and then add the broth. Covering the pan if it has a lid will help the greens to steam. Stir periodically and allow the greens to wilt for 5 minutes until soft and tender.
- If using previously frozen greens, you can skip the vegetable broth and just stir the greens until they are heated through. Often, a crushed bouillon cube is crumbled over the greens at the end of the cooking time for flavour. If you don’t have a bouillon cube you can just make sure that the greens are seasoned to your liking with salt and any other seasonings you wish to add (cumin, coriander, etc).
- Finish by splashing in the unsweetened soy milk to take away any bitterness from the greens and cook for 1 minute longer or until any remaining liquid evaporates.
- Remove from the heat and serve alongside my Kenyan ugali recipe. Store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheat in a skillet as needed.
Notes
Approximate Cost: $4.40 Canadian using 1 bunch of collard greens.
If you want to stretch this recipe to serve 4 you can just double the amount of greens you use and keep the rest of the recipe the same. I find that one bunch of massaged kale often yields enough to serve 4 but one bunch of collards at 140 grams more comfortably serves 2-3. I would use at least 1 cup of packed fresh spinach per desired serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Kenyan
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