Ligusha

Ingredients

Leaves

• 800 gjute mallow leaves
• fresh, or 150 g dried
• water, for washing

The pot

• 1onion, chopped
• 2tomatoes, chopped, optional
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• or a knob of butter
• about 400 ml water
• salt

Sometimes added

• a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tablespoonsgroundnut paste
• a little milk

To serve

• pap or stiff maize porridge
• as a relish
• with meat or beans

Directions

1. Adjust it to how you want it to be. Dried leaves must be soaked before use. Use very little or leave it out. It accompanies the stiff maize porridge. Strip the leaves from their stems. Discard all of the woody stems. Take the time to remove all of them. Fill a clean sink with cold water.
2. Put the leaves in and swish them about. Lift them out rather than pouring off. Repeat it three or four times. Do it until no grit settles at all. Pile the washed leaves on a board. Chop them finely with a large knife. Put the dried leaves in a bowl. Cover them over with warm water.
3. Let them soak for about thirty minutes. Some cooks keep it for the pot. Strain it well if you keep it. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Add the chopped onion to the pan.
4. Cook it for a good eight minutes. Let it soften and turn golden. Add the chopped tomatoes if using them. Cook them down for about six minutes. Add the chopped leaves to the pan. Add the measured water to them. Season it well with plenty of salt. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan and lower the heat.
5. Let it cook for about twenty minutes. Stir it now and then as it goes. Stir it well for a slipperier relish. Stir it less for a looser one. Judging it takes a careful look. Lift a spoonful and let it fall. It should stretch rather than drop. Cook it on if it still runs freely. Add hot water if it is too thick.
6. Simmer it uncovered if it is too thin. Loosen groundnut paste with warm liquid. Take a ladle from the pot to do it. Let it cook for ten more minutes. It grows on nuts stored damp or warm.
7. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed. It needs more than you might expect. Spoon it beside a mound of stiff porridge. Serve meat or beans alongside. Pinch off the porridge and scoop with it. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• This is the same plant as Egyptian molokhia, Corchorus olitorius, and ligusha is the Eswatini name and preparation of it; the atlas records that connection rather than treating them as unrelated.
• The ropy slippery texture is deliberately sought rather than a fault to cook out, and it is genuinely under your control: the mucilage comes from soluble fibres that dissolve into the liquid, so more vigorous stirring makes it slipperier and gentler handling makes it less so.
• Test it by lifting a spoonful and letting it fall: it should stretch out in strands rather than drop freely, and if it still runs it needs longer.

Substitutions

• Dried leaves are soaked in warm water for thirty minutes and give a darker stronger flavour.
• Groundnut paste stirred in enriches and thickens it, and mellows the slipperiness slightly.

Variations

• Some versions are entirely plain and others build a tomato and onion base.
• A pinch of bicarbonate keeps the leaves greener but destroys some vitamins.
• Pounding the leaves rather than chopping gives the most slippery result.

History

An indigenous wild green harvested in the rainy season and dried for winter; its ropy texture is deliberately sought.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ligusha?

Ligusha is a salad & side from Eswatini: jute mallow leaves cooked to a slippery green relish. An indigenous wild green harvested in the rainy season and dried for winter; its ropy texture is deliberately sought.

How long does Ligusha take to make?

Ligusha takes 20 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ligusha?

Yes, within limits. Dried leaves are soaked in warm water for thirty minutes and give a darker stronger flavour. Groundnut paste stirred in enriches and thickens it, and mellows the slipperiness slightly.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ligusha?

Adjust it to how you want it to be. Dried leaves must be soaked before use. Use very little or leave it out. It accompanies the stiff maize porridge. Strip the leaves from their stems. Discard all of the woody stems. Take the time to remove all of them. Fill a clean sink with cold water.