Pumpkin Leaves

Pumpkin leaves

 

It’s funny how when we grow up food that we hated as children tastes a whole lot different. I have stated in previous posts that I am just beginning to discover vegetables. My discovery begun in 2010 with spinach!! And I have since “discovered” many other vegetables especially the local ones. I never knew that pumpkin leaves could be fried till mid last year (YA! Go figure!!) and when I ate them I loved them and thought that it was the first time I ever had them in my life, imagine my surprise when I went to ask my mother why she never made them for us when we were growing up ad she said “wewe mwenye ata hukuwa unakula kitu yoyote ya green? I made them but you wouldn’t touch them” ( you who never ate any green thing). I served this with ugali and it was just too tasty. I’d like to thank my FB fans who told me how to make this dish HAPPY COOKING!!!

NB: sorry I don’t have the exact measurements

Pumpkin Leaves

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients

  1. Fresh pumpkin leaves
  2. Baking soda or magadi
  3. Onions, chopped
  4. Garlic, crushed
  5. Tomatoes, chopped
  6. chillies
  7. Dhania (coriander), chopped
  8. Cream/ milk (sour cream is the best)

Instructions

Wash the pumpkin leaves then remove the rough part of the stalk by pulling it out all the way into the leaf.

Roughly chop the leaves and the stalk, place them in water, pour some baking soda and boil for about 20-40 mins depending on how old the leaves are. If its young leaves 20minutes is plenty. Once the leaves are soft. Remove and discard the water.

Put the onions in a pot with a little oil. Fry the onions till they are soft, add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins. Add in the tomatoes, salt, pepper and chillies. Stir well. Reduce the heat and cover the pot. Let the tomatoes cook for about 5 minutes. Add the dhania and mix well.

Once the dhania has cooked for about 1 minute add the boiled pumpkin leaves, mix well and cover. Let this cook for 3-5mins then add the cream/milk. Bring to a boil and serve hot with Ugali or rice.

HAPPY EATING!!

https://www.themothershipvillage.com/pumpkin-leaves/