Nkhwani

Ingredients

The leaves

• 800 gyoung pumpkin leaves
• with their soft shoots
• strings pulled off

The pot

• 1onion, chopped
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• about 150 ml water
• salt

The groundnut

• 5 tablespoonsgroundnut flour
• nsinjiro
• a little hot water, to loosen

To serve

• nsima
• eaten with the right hand

Directions

1. Pull the broken end downwards. Repeat it on the thick leaf veins as well. Stringing a large bunch takes real time. Pick the leaves and soft shoots over. Discard any tough woody stems. It should snap rather than bend.
2. Pull the broken end down the stem. Pull them right off and discard them. Pull the strings from the thick leaf veins. They are often skipped and should not be. Wash the leaves in several changes of water. Fill a bowl and lift the leaves out. Repeat it until no grit settles. Stack the leaves and roll them up. Slice them across into fine ribbons.
3. Cut them all up into fine ribbons. Cooking it is straightforward enough. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. Add the chopped onion in to it. Cook it for a good six minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot. Cook them down for about six minutes. The tomato should soften and break down.
4. Cook it until it goes quite jammy. Add the chopped leaves to the pot. Add them in batches if the pot is full. Raw leaves take up an enormous space. Add a handful, let it wilt, add more. Adding the liquid is straightforward enough.
5. Add a little water to the pot. Season the pot with a little salt. Add only a little to start with. Add more later if it goes dry. Cooking them takes about fifteen minutes. Cover the pot and lower the heat. Let it cook for about fifteen minutes. Stir it through every now and then. Judging them takes a careful taste. Cook them on if they still resist. Mix the groundnut flour with hot water.
6. Stir it into a smooth loose paste. Dry flour tipped in sits in lumps. Stir the loosened paste into the pot. Let it cook for ten more minutes. Ten minutes makes a real difference. Stir it regularly all the way through. Keep the heat low and quite steady. Judging it takes a careful look.
7. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed. Salt is most of the seasoning. Serving it is always done hot. Spoon it out into a serving bowl. Serve stiff nsima alongside it. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• The atlas carries both ndiwo and nkhwani from Malawi because one is the class and the other a member of it: ndiwo is the general Chichewa word for a relish eaten with nsima, and nkhwani is the specific pumpkin-leaf one — the most common of all, and what most households eat most days. It is also a close relative of Zimbabwe’s muboora across the border.
• Pumpkin leaves have tough fibrous strings along the stems and main veins that stay tough however long they cook and must be pulled off first: snap the stem near the leaf and pull the broken end downwards, then repeat on the thick veins, which are often skipped and should not be. Stringing a large bunch is tedious and necessary — longer cooking will not fix an unstringed leaf.
• Loosen the nsinjiro with hot water into a smooth pourable paste before it goes in, since dry flour tipped into the pot sits in lumps that never disperse, then cook it ten minutes since raw groundnut tastes chalky and it catches and burns bitter on the bottom.

Substitutions

• Unsweetened peanut butter stands in for nsinjiro, the dry ground groundnut flour; say clearly that groundnut has gone in, since the allergy can be severe.
• The relish must be thick enough to hold on a nsima scoop, since a thin one falls off.

Variations

• One planting gives two foods, with leaves picked months before the fruit; but picking too many weakens the plant and reduces the fruit, so growers take the young tips.
• Bend a stem right over to test it — it should snap rather than bend, which tells you it is young enough.
• Any stringiness in the finished dish means the stringing was missed rather than that it needs longer cooking.

History

Pumpkin leaves stewed with tomato and thickened with groundnut flour, the most common everyday ndiwo.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nkhwani?

Nkhwani is a salad & side from Malawi: pumpkin leaves cooked down with groundnut flour. Pumpkin leaves stewed with tomato and thickened with groundnut flour, the most common everyday ndiwo.

How long does Nkhwani take to make?

Nkhwani takes 30 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Nkhwani?

Yes, within limits. Unsweetened peanut butter stands in for nsinjiro, the dry ground groundnut flour; say clearly that groundnut has gone in, since the allergy can be severe. The relish must be thick enough to hold on a nsima scoop, since a thin one falls off.

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

Pull the broken end downwards. Repeat it on the thick leaf veins as well. Stringing a large bunch takes real time. Pick the leaves and soft shoots over. Discard any tough woody stems. It should snap rather than bend.