Sukuma wiki is the East African name for a dish made with collard greens. "Sukuma wiki" literally means "stretch the week" and is used to describe the need to exercise prudence in relation to the household budget. 

As described in a previous post, a wide variety of greens can be used in African cuisine. As such, they may require different preparation methods depending on the texture of the leaf. The closest greens to those used in the preparation of sukuma wiki are collard greens. Collard greens are popular in US Southern Cuisine, however they are difficult to find in the UK, where people use spring greens as a substitute. I find that spring greens are very waxy and crunchy to bite, so may not work well when braised with tomatoes. Cooking spring greens for too long ruins them so I prefer to lightly fry them in a hot pan with a little garlic and butter. I then garnish them with fresh tomato and onions.

To make sukuma wiki the East African way, braising collard greens or kale with onions and tomatoes is how it is typically cooked. Cabbage, cavolo nero or dinosaur kale produces fantastic results and are often dressed with a little lemon juice when served. Sukuma wiki can also be prepared with yummy pumpkin leaves. As mentioned before, different methods need to be employed when preparing different types of leaves. With pumpkin leaves, they will need to be carefully de-veined and chopped finely prior to cooking.

 

A simple sukuma wiki can be cooked by following these steps.

Preparation

3 tablespoons oil
400g kale or collard greens
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
1 cup of vegetable stock
cracked black pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon

1. Thoroughly wash the collard greens, then thinly slice the collards into delicate strips and set aside. Slice the onions and chop the garlic, ginger and tomatoes.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok, fry the onions until golden brown or for about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and ginger, followed by the tomatoes and allow to cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the collard greens into the pan gradually and toss them as you go to ensure they all fit in the pan. Once all the greens are in the pan, add the cup of vegetable stock to the pan, then season with the cracked black pepper and braise for 10 minutes.

4. Once ready, remove from the heat and sprinkle the lemon juice over the greens. Check for seasoning then serve as a side dish to ugali and stew.