Ingredients
Greens
- 300 gmoringa leaves, stripped from the stems
- 200 gpumpkin leaves and tips, if available
- 150 gother seasonal greens
Vegetables
- 600 gpumpkin, in chunks
- 2 earsof sweetcorn, cut into rounds
- 2onions, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 2tomatoes, chopped
Liquid
- 400 mlcoconut milk, or water
- 500 mlwater
- salt
Sometimes added
- 200 gcooked beans
- a piece of dried or smoked fish
- 1hot chilli
To serve
- boiled rice
- or boiled cassava
Directions
- Strip them off by running your fingers down the stem from tip to base. Discard the stems, which stay woody however long they cook. This takes some time and is best done sitting down with a bowl.
- Wash the stripped leaves in several changes of cold water. Drain them and set them aside. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into large chunks. Cut them large, since small pieces disappear entirely. Keep the seeds if you want, and roast them separately. Strip the tough hairy skin off the pumpkin stems before using them.
- Warm a little oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook them for eight minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook it for another minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and the chilli if using.
- Cook them down for five minutes into a thick base. Add the pumpkin chunks and the rounds of sweetcorn. Pour in the water and season it with salt. Bring it to a simmer and cover the pot.
- Cook it for twenty minutes until the pumpkin begins to soften. Add the dried or smoked fish now if you are using it. Add the tougher greens and the pumpkin tips first. Cook them for ten minutes with the lid on.
- Add the moringa leaves last, since they cook fastest. Moringa wilts within a few minutes and goes bitter if overcooked. Stir them through and cook for five minutes only. Pour in the coconut milk and lower the heat. Do not let it boil hard, since coconut milk splits. Simmer it gently for ten minutes. Add the cooked beans now if you are using them. Now the consistency, which should be thick.
- Mash a few pieces of pumpkin against the side of the pot. It should be thick enough to hold on a spoon. Add hot water if it has gone too dry. Taste it and adjust the salt at the end. Now serving, which is done hot. Serve it in bowls with boiled rice or cassava alongside. Reheat it gently, since the greens go dark if boiled again hard.
Technique
- Strip moringa leaves from the stems, which stay woody however long they cook.
- Add moringa last, since it wilts in minutes and turns bitter if overcooked.
- Mash a few pieces of pumpkin to thicken and bind the stew.
Substitutions
- Spinach or amaranth leaves if moringa is unavailable.
- Water in place of coconut milk, which is the plainer version.
Variations
- With smoked fish, which many households add.
- With beans cooked in, for a heavier pot.
- Made with maize kernels instead of whole corn rounds.
History
A Timorese village dish built on moringa, the drought-hardy tree that keeps rural households fed in lean months.
Frequently asked questions
What is Koto?
Koto is a soup & stew from Timor-Leste: slow-cooked stew of moringa leaves, pumpkin and seasonal greens. A Timorese village dish built on moringa, the drought-hardy tree that keeps rural households fed in lean months.
How long does Koto take to make?
Koto takes 20 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Koto?
Yes, within limits. Spinach or amaranth leaves if moringa is unavailable. Water in place of coconut milk, which is the plainer version.
What is the most important thing to get right in Koto?
Add the moringa leaves last, since they cook fastest. Moringa wilts within a few minutes and goes bitter if overcooked. Stir them through and cook for five minutes only. Pour in the coconut milk and lower the heat. Do not let it boil hard, since coconut milk splits. Simmer it gently for ten minutes. Add the cooked beans now if you are using them. Now the consistency, which should be thick.
