Sukuma Wiki Recipe + Video

Collard greens are tenderly cooked with tomatoes and onion in this flavorful sukuma wiki or African greens recipe. This dish is healthy, economical and very easy to prepare.

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• Meaning of the name
• Benefits of eating Collard Greens
• Ingredients needed
• How to make Sukuma Wiki
• Serving suggestions
• Storing
• Printable Recipe Card

I am happy to share with you my family's delicious vegetarian collard green recipe, just like my mother and my grandmother before her, used to make it. Like most people in Kenya, I grew up eating sukuma wiki almost every day. If you are a fan of Kenyan recipes - or if you would like to become one - I recommend that you check out these pilau masala and kachumbari salad recipes.

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.

Meaning of the name

The name sukuma wiki is a Swahili word that literally means to ''push the week'' or ''stretch the week'' in English. The name draws back its roots to 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.

It is a common and popular staple dish in East African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Congo, that is normally served with ugali (a type of firm dough made from mixing maize flour and hot water).

Benefits of eating Collard Greens

There are many well known and proven health benefits to eating collard greens and these include:

• Promotes liver function - studies show that eating cruciferous vegetables such as collard greens helps promote liver health as well as regulate blood pressure.
• Moderate source of dietary fiber: This means it is a great aid in digestion. Dietary fiber is known to help with constipation. It also improves digestion.
• Nutritious - they are a great source of Vitamins A, C, E, and K. 100 g contain 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 - The leaves are packed with glucosinolates and chlorophyll that have anti-carcinogenic effects which help assist lower cancer-inducing gene expression as well as promote stable DNA and cell formation.

For those on special diets, 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).

RECIPE VIDEO

Ingredients needed

This traditional East African recipe uses just 4 simple ingredients. This is a basic vegan and vegetarian method (see recipe variations below for other ways to make this dish).

• Sukuma Wiki (collard greens) leaves - wash and slice the leaves.
• Tomatoes - any sort of fleshy, medium-sized ripe red tomatoes will do.
• An onion - red or white onion can be used.
• Cooking oil - to braise the greens. I used olive oil to keep the recipe Keto, Paleo, and Low Carb compliant. However, any type of vegetable cooking oil can be used.
• Salt 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

How to make Sukuma Wiki

This African greens recipe is very simple and involves the following steps.

• Prepare the greens: wash the sukuma wiki leaves and tomatoes. Cut off the hard stems from the leaves. 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 with your hand, hold them firmly on top of 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, however, that adding pepper is not an authentic way of making this dish, but do not let that stop you from being creative in the kitchen.
• Remove from the heat and serve with ugali. For a low carb or paleo option, serve it with low carb fufu.

Useful tips

• Do not overcook - cooking 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 and collards.
• Seasoning - you can also use your favorite 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.

• Grated carrots - Once cooked, stir in 1 cup of grated carrots and combine. Allow the carrots to cook for 1-2 minutes then serve.
• Spinach - to make sukuma wiki with spinach, wash and separately slice the onion, tomatoes, collard greens, and spinach. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion and tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the greens, cover, and allow them to reduce for a minute. Next, add the chopped spinach, 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 by either cooking the meat together or separately. To cook separately, boil, fry, or grill some beef. Once the meat is cooked, serve separately to the greens. To cook together, boil meat with salt and spices until tender. Once tender, drain off excess stock and reserve this in a container. In the same pot, fry the meat, onion, and tomatoes until the tomatoes are cooked through and you have a thick tomato-based sauce. Add the chopped greens, stir, cover, and allow to cook for 5 minutes, or until tender.

Serving suggestions

Sukuma wiki is traditionally served with ugali.

For a low carb alternative, serve with low carb fufu, cauliflower rice or cauliflower mashed potatoes.

Storing

The good news, sukuma wiki can perfectly be made ahead and stored in the fridge and freezer. This makes it great for busy weeknights, as it can be made a day or so before.

Refrigeration: whole and uncut leaves will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store your sliced African greens in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

Freezing: Freeze in suitable airtight containers for up to 6 months. Pro tip: Always slice or cut your leaves first before freezing. That way, the collard greens will still retain their taste and texture upon thawing and cooking.

Printable Recipe Card