Thepe

Ingredients

The greens

• 800 gfresh amaranth leaves
• young leaves and soft stems
• picked over and washed
• or 600 g spinach
• or a mixture of wild greens

The base

• 1large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoonscooking oil
• or 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 clovesgarlic, chopped
• optional
• 1tomato, chopped
• optional

The seasoning

• salt, to taste
• black pepper
• a pinch of chilli
• optional
• water, to cook

Sometimes added

• 2 tablespoonsgroundnut paste
• or ground peanuts
• a splash of milk
• or a spoonful of cream

To serve

• papa, stiff maize porridge
• or samp
• sour milk
• grilled or stewed meat

Directions

1. Pick over the greens carefully first. Discard any tough or woody stems entirely. Keep only the young leaves and soft stems. Discard yellowed or damaged leaves as well.
2. Fill a large bowl or a sink with cold water. Lift the greens out rather than pouring the water. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a good pinch of salt to the water. Add the greens and push them under the water.
3. Boil them for about ten to fifteen minutes. Amaranth needs longer than spinach does. Drain them well in a colander. Discard the cooking water, as discussed above.
4. Press the greens gently to remove excess water. Do not squeeze them completely dry though. Heat the oil or butter over a medium flame. Add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt.
5. Cook it until soft and just turning golden. That takes about eight to ten minutes. Add the garlic in the last two minutes. Add the chopped tomato if you are using it.
6. Cook it down until it collapses completely. Stir everything together thoroughly. Season with salt and black pepper. Add chilli if your household likes it. Cook it together for about ten minutes. Stir it often so nothing catches and burns.
7. Add a splash of water if it looks dry. The greens should be soft and well seasoned. Taste the greens and correct the salt. Wild greens can take more salt than you expect. Serve it hot alongside papa, the maize porridge. It is stiff maize meal cooked with water.

Technique

• Amaranth grows uninvited in Basotho maize fields and is technically a weed in the crop. Picking it both weeds the field and feeds the household, which is exactly why it matters. A plant can be a weed and a vegetable at the same time.
• Do not forage wild greens without learning the plant from someone who knows it. A book is not enough. Avoid roadsides, verges and any land that may have been sprayed with herbicide, and ask the farmer if you are picking on farmland.
• Amaranth leaves accumulate nitrates, particularly in heavily fertilised ground, and contain oxalates like spinach. Boiling and discarding the water removes a good deal of both — and some nutrients with them, which is the honest trade cooks have always made. The atlas quotes no figures and sets no limits. Anyone with kidney stones should raise oxalate-rich greens with a doctor.
• Amaranth needs longer boiling than spinach, and the stems in particular. Test a piece of stem for fibre before you drain them.
• The greens shrink enormously. A very large pile becomes a modest bowlful, which surprises people cooking them for the first time.
• Wash them at least three times, lifting them out of the water rather than pouring it off. Wild greens carry real grit and there is no fixing it afterwards.
• Amaranth greens feed an enormous area of Africa under many names — thepe and imbuya in the south, mchicha in Swahili, and others across the west. It is an ordinary green vegetable, not a superfood.

Substitutions

• Spinach replaces amaranth and needs much less boiling — about three minutes rather than fifteen. The flavour is milder and less earthy.
• Swiss chard, kale or turnip tops all work with adjusted cooking times.
• A mixture of wild greens is genuinely traditional; moroho is often several plants cooked together rather than one.
• Butter replaces oil and gives a richer result; it is used when a household has it.
• Ground peanuts or groundnut paste stirred in thickens the dish and is common further north.
• Dried amaranth, rehydrated in warm water, replaces fresh out of season and is how the greens are eaten through winter.

Variations

• Moroho covers a whole family of Basotho cooked greens, including pumpkin leaves, cowpea leaves and wild mustard, all cooked the same way.
• A version with groundnut paste stirred through is richer and is more common in Mozambique and further north.
• Some cooks add a splash of milk or cream at the end for a mellower dish.
• Imifino in South Africa and mchicha in Tanzania are the same greens under different names, cooked with local variations.
• A version cooked with mealie meal stirred in, making a thick green porridge, is eaten in some households.
• Dried and stored amaranth, rehydrated in winter, is a distinct preparation with a deeper, more concentrated flavour.

History

Grows uninvited in Basotho maize fields and is picked young after the summer rains as free greens.

Frequently asked questions

What is Thepe?

Thepe is a salad & side from Lesotho: wild amaranth leaves boiled and cooked with onion as moroho. Grows uninvited in Basotho maize fields and is picked young after the summer rains as free greens.

How long does Thepe take to make?

Thepe takes 20 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4 as a side. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Thepe?

Yes, within limits. Spinach replaces amaranth and needs much less boiling — about three minutes rather than fifteen. The flavour is milder and less earthy. Swiss chard, kale or turnip tops all work with adjusted cooking times. A mixture of wild greens is genuinely traditional; moroho is often several plants cooked together rather than one. Butter replaces oil and gives a richer result; it is used when a household has it. Ground peanuts or groundnut paste stirred in thickens the dish and is common further north. Dried amaranth, rehydrated in warm water, replaces fresh out of season and is how the greens are eaten through winter.

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

Fill a large bowl or a sink with cold water. Lift the greens out rather than pouring the water. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a good pinch of salt to the water. Add the greens and push them under the water.