Sukuma Wiki  

Braised greens with onions and tomatoes in a bright blue serving bowl. Wooden table.

“Sukuma Wiki” means “stretch the week” in Swahili – making the most of the food you’ve got. The recipe can vary a lot depending on what’s available.

This is a great recipe for using whatever greens you’ve got on hand – collards, kale, spinach… Use this lineup of celebration spices or keep it simple with just onion, garlic, lemon juice and salt/pepper. 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chard 
  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about ½ lb) 
  • 1 white onion, diced 
  • 1 clove garlic, minced 
  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil 
  • ½ tsp ground coriander 
  • ½ tsp turmeric 
  • 1 tsp cumin 
  • Pinch of ground fenugreek 
  • 1 ½ tsp salt 
  • ¾ cup water 
  • Juice of 1 lemon 
  • Ground black pepper 

Directions

  1. Remove stems from leaves and chop into small pieces. Set aside. Chop leaves into ribbons.  
  2. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook/stir until softened, about 7-9 minutes. Add garlic and chopped chard stems and cook 1 minute more. Stir in coriander, turmeric, cumin and fenugreek. Add tomatoes and cook 1-3 minutes.  
  3. Add chard ribbons and stir to coat with other ingredients. Add in salt and a few grinds of pepper, stirring again. Pour in water, cover pot and turn heat to medium. Cook 8-10 minutes, until greens are tender.  
  4. Remove from heat, gently toss with lemon juice. Serve hot.