Authentic Kenyan Sukuma Wiki Recipe + Video

Authentic Kenyan Sukuma Wiki Recipe (Braised Collard Greens) - Sukuma Wiki is a common staple dish in East Africa which is normally served with ugali (a type of firm dough made from maize flour). The name sukuma wiki is a Swahili word which literally means to ''push the week'' or ''stretch the week'' in English.

This recipe is Keto, paleo and low carb. It is also suitable for the whole 30 and THM diet plans. I have updated the recipe to include the video (see the recipe card towards the bottom of the post).

This name has its roots in the affordability of the dish. Back in the days, the common folk in Kenya could afford to stretch the little pennies earned throughout the week and feed their families with this affordable vegetable.

I share with you today this delicious vegetarian sukuma wiki (collard green) recipe, just like my mother and my grandmother used to make it.

Sukuma Wiki is a popular staple dish in most East African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Congo. Like most people growing up in Kenya, I grew up eating sukuma wiki every day.

We normally had it served as a vegan side dish with avocado and ugali (also known as sembe or posho) for lunch, or with meat or fish in the evenings when the whole family was there.

Benefits of eating Sukuma Wiki

Sukuma Wiki has many health benefits some of which include:

• Promotes liver function - Studies show that eating cruciferous vegetables such as collard greens (Sukuma Wiki) helps promote liver health as well as regulate the blood pressure.
• Moderate source of dietary fibre: This means it is a great aid in digestion. Dietary fibre is known to help with constipation. It also improves digestion.
• Nutritious - Sukuma Wiki (collard greens) is a great source of Vitamin A, C, E and K. 100 g contains about 5000 IU of Vitamin A. Vitamin A has many health benefits, including promoting eye health and strengthening the immune system. Vitamin C contributes to bone health.
• Fighting cancer - Collard greens leaves are packed with glucosinolates and chlorophyll which contains anti-carcinogenic effects which help assist lower cancer-inducing gene expression as well as promote stable DNA and cell formation.

More videos from paleolowcarbkate - see video for this recipe in the card below

Ingredients needed

This authentic Kenyan Sukuma Wiki recipe uses just 4 simple ingredients. This is a basic vegan and vegetarian recipe (see recipe variations below - other ways to make sukuma wiki).

• Sukuma Wiki (Collard greens leaves) - you will need to slice them.
• Tomatoes - this recipe uses ripe red tomatoes. You can use any sort of medium-sized ripe red tomatoes.
• An onion - use red or white onions.
• Cooking oil - to braise the Sukuma Wiki. I used olive oil to keep the recipe Keto, Paleo and Low Carb compliant. However, you can however use any other type of oil you prefer.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Other recipes to love:

• Shrimp and Beetroot Green Salad
• Easy Peanut Butter Low Carb Keto Smoothie Recipe
• Recipe for Turmeric Latte (Paleo, Vegan
• Easy Marinara Sauce from Scratch
• Low Carb Vegetarian Cauliflower Tots

Storage

Refrigeration: You can store whole Sukuma wiki leaves in the fridge for about 3 days. Sliced sukuma wiki leaves will keep longer (for about 5 days). Just make sure you keep them in an airtight container.

Freezing: You can freeze the sukuma wiki leaves for about 6 months.

Pro tip: Always slice or cut your leaves first before freezing. That way, the sukuma wiki will still retain its taste and texture upon thawing and cooking.

How to make this Sukuma Wiki recipe

This is a simple summary for those who prefer to read about the recipe in the post. A printable recipe card is provided at the end of this post.

This recipe (vegetarian braised collard greens recipe) is very simple and involves the following steps.

• Prepare the vegetables - wash the sukuma wiki leaves and tomatoes. Slice-off the hard stems from the leaves and discard. You can also use your hands to do this. Discard the stems as you only need the leaves for this recipe. Grab a bunch of leaves in your hand, hold them up firmly on a chopping board then use a knife to chop or slice. How big or small you cut your sukumawiki is a matter of preference.
• Peel and slice the onion and chop the tomatoes.
• Next, heat your cooking pot on the stovetop set it to heat under medium heat. Add in the olive oil and allow it to heat for about 1-2 minutes.
• Fry the onion until golden brown. Next, add the tomatoes and allow them to cook. The tomatoes should be soft. You can add a tablespoon or two of oil if the tomatoes are sticking to the pot.
• Once the tomatoes are cooked through, add the sukuma wiki leaves and some salt. Cover and allow it to reduce for about one minute then stir. Cover again and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes. You can cook it longer if you do not like your vegetables crunchy. Also, older tougher leaves tend to require more cooking time than younger tender leaves.
• Season with more salt or some pepper (if preferred. Note that adding pepper to sukuma wiki is not an authentic way of making this dish).
• Remove from the heat and serve with ugali. For a low carb or paleo option, serve it with low carb fufu.

Useful tips related to this recipe

• Do not overcook - braising the sukuma wiki (collard green leaves) for just a few minutes works best. Normally, 5-7 minutes is a sweet spot. The time will however depend on how tough your leaves are. You may need to cook tougher and older leaves longer, to enable them to thoroughly soften up.
• Do not add water - your dish will end up soupy and not taste good.
• Having problems with tough sukumawiki leaves? Add some spinach leaves. This will make it less tough. Spinach also works well to reduce the bitter taste in kale.
• Seasoning - you can also use your favourite seasonings such as stock cubes, black pepper or curry powder. Feel free to experiment.

Recipe Variations

As I mentioned, this recipe is a basic simple and quick recipe. You can however add more spices such as chillis or beef stock cubes. My personal favourite recipe variation is to add grated carrots just before removing the pot from the stovetop.

Add grated carrots - Make sukuma wiki as per the recipe card below. Once cooked, stir in 1 cup of grated carrots and stir. Allow the carrots to cook for 1-2 minutes then serve.

Add spinach - to make sukuma wiki with spinach, wash and separately slice the sukuma wiki and spinach. Slice the onion and tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion and tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the sukuma wiki leaves, cover and allow them to reduce for a minute. Next, add the spinach leaves, cover and allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Divide into plates and serve while still hot.

Add some meat - You can do this in two ways:

• Cook the sukuma wiki and beef separately - cook beef using your preferred method (boil, fry, grilled and so forth). Once the meat is cooked, make sukuma wiki as per this recipe and serve separately.
• Cook the sukuma wiki and beef together - in a medium sized pot, boil the meat with salt and spices until tender. Once the meat is tender, drain off excess stock. Reserve the stock. In the same pot, fry the beef, onion and tomatoes until the tomatoes are cooked through and you have a thick tomato-based sauce. Add the sukuma wiki leaves, stir, cover and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

“Nutrition information on the site is an estimate calculated using a third-party source and is provided for informational purposes only. It is highly recommended that you make your own calculations. If you have any specific dietary concerns, kindly consult with your healthcare practitioner. Variations may occur for many reasons, such as ingredients used and food preparation. We make no representation or warranty of the accuracy of this information.” Net carbs exclude fibre, erythritol and allulose since they do not impact the blood sugar levels in most people.