Umbidvo Wetintsanga — Print Recipe

Tender young pumpkin leaves cooked with groundnuts and tomatoes into a rich, earthy stew that is one of the most beloved vegetable dishes in Eswatini.

Ingredients

500g young pumpkin leaves, washed and chopped
1 cup roasted groundnuts, crushed
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup water

Instructions

1 Wash pumpkin leaves thoroughly and chop them into small pieces. Remove any tough stems or veins from older leaves.
2 Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onion until translucent. Add diced tomatoes and cook until they break down into a sauce.
3 Add the chopped pumpkin leaves and one cup of water. Cover and cook for fifteen minutes until leaves are wilted and tender.
4 Crush roasted groundnuts using a mortar and pestle until they form a coarse paste. Add to the pot and stir well.
5 Simmer uncovered for ten more minutes until the sauce thickens and the groundnut flavor permeates the dish. Season with salt.

Did You Know?

Pumpkin leaves are so valued in Eswatini that families plant pumpkins primarily for the leaves rather than the fruit itself.