Malakwang

Ingredients

Leaves

• 600 gmalakwang leaves, or roselle hibiscus leaves
• water, for boiling

Paste

• 250 gsmooth groundnut paste, or ground simsim sesame
• or 200 g unsweetened peanut butter

Base

• 1onion, chopped, if wanted
• 1 tspsalt
• 500 mlwater

Sometimes added

• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda, a traditional tenderiser
• 1tomato, chopped
• smoked fish, flaked

To serve

• boiled sweet potato
• or boiled cassava
• or millet bread

Directions

1. Strip the leaves from the tough stems and discard the stems. Pick out any yellowed or damaged leaves. Wash them in several changes of water, since they carry grit. Chop them roughly if the leaves are large. Put the leaves in a pot with the water and the salt.
2. Bring it to the boil and lower to a simmer. Use no more than a small pinch, since too much makes them slimy. Simmer them for about twenty minutes. They should be completely soft and collapsed. Mash the softened leaves against the side of the pot. They should break down into a rough dark mass.
3. Cook it down if the pot is watery. Add a splash of hot water if it has gone dry. Now the nut paste, which must be loosened first.
4. Take a ladleful of the hot liquid from the pot. Stir it into the groundnut paste in a separate bowl. Work it into a smooth loose paste. Adding the paste dry to the pot makes lumps that never disperse.
5. Stir the loosened paste into the pot. Mix it through the leaves thoroughly. Simmer it for twenty minutes over a low heat.
6. Stir it every few minutes, scraping the bottom. Now the consistency, which should be thick. Add hot water if it has gone too stiff. Cook it down further if it is loose. Taste it and adjust the salt at the end. It should be clearly sour with the nut richness behind it.
7. Add flaked smoked fish now if you are using it. Boil sweet potatoes until soft and peel them. Serve them hot in a wide bowl. Spoon the malakwang beside them rather than over them.

Technique

• Loosen the groundnut paste with hot liquid first, or it will lump and never disperse.
• Stir often once the nut paste is in, as it catches and burns easily.
• Do not add sugar; the sourness of the leaf is the character of the dish.

Substitutions

• Roselle hibiscus leaves, sold frozen in African shops.
• Unsweetened peanut butter in place of groundnut paste.

Variations

• Made with ground simsim sesame instead of groundnut.
• With smoked fish cooked through it.
• Served with millet bread instead of sweet potato.

History

An Acholi dish from northern Uganda; the sourness of the hibiscus leaf is balanced by ground simsim or peanut paste.

Frequently asked questions

What is Malakwang?

Malakwang is a soup & stew from Uganda: sour hibiscus leaves cooked with groundnut paste, served with sweet potato. An Acholi dish from northern Uganda; the sourness of the hibiscus leaf is balanced by ground simsim or peanut paste.

How long does Malakwang take to make?

Malakwang takes 20 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Malakwang?

Yes, within limits. Roselle hibiscus leaves, sold frozen in African shops. Unsweetened peanut butter in place of groundnut paste.

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

Cook it down if the pot is watery. Add a splash of hot water if it has gone dry. Now the nut paste, which must be loosened first.