Sukuma Wiki is a simple but very flavorful side dish made up of collard greens and tomatoes. It’s a delicious way to enjoy your greens and make your meal more filling too!
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If you are trying to get more greens in your diet, this is a dish you have got to try! If you like more of a fresh, cold green salad, try Kachumbari from Kenya.
Sukuma wiki is full of flavor, texture, and all the health benefits of collard greens–which are many. If you have never been a fan of collard greens in the past, this is a recipe that might just change your mind!
It’s a simple African dish that is the perfect addition to many other meals. In fact, it can be served as a side or as an addition to some stew. You can even mix protein and extra spices into the greens to make it the main course.
This recipe is great because it is easily customized, affordable to make, and it’s food you can feel good about eating! What’s not to love?
Recipe Origins
Sukuma Wiki is a traditional African dish that is enjoyed by many families in Kenya, Tanzania, and Burundi, where collard greens or kale are indigenous vegetables that can be found year-round.
This dish was made popular because of its rich nutrient content and affordability. Sukuma Wiki is a Swahili word for “week pusher” or “stretch the week”. This dish is often made to add to other dishes or meals and make them more filling–stretching the family’s food supply to last through the week.
In parts of East Africa, where many families struggle with food insecurity, you may see this staple food served alongside a stew, over rice, and with other starchy foods on a daily basis. It provides an important boost of nutrients that families need and is the perfect dish for just about any lunch or dinner.
Why Make This Recipe?
- Dress up Your Greens: This dish is a great way to add more greens to your diet. Collard greens are low-calorie and full of great vitamins!
- Simple Ingredients: Collard greens are affordable and generally available year-round. Combine them with some very simple ingredients like tomatoes and chicken bouillon and you’ve got a tasty dish!
- Taste of Africa: This dish is an African delicacy enjoyed by families on an almost daily basis! It’s a dish that’s good for you, easy to make, and extra filling!
What Do I Need To Make This Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Vegetable Oil: You can use just about any oil for this recipe. Substitute olive oil, ghee, or even butter!
- Tomato: You can use one large tomato or two smaller tomatoes like Roma tomatoes. You could also use canned if that’s all you have on hand, but be sure and drain any excess liquid.
- Beef Bouillon: You can use a cube or powder.
- Collard Greens: Some people will make this recipe with kale instead of collard greens or in addition to it. You can also add spinach to the collard greens if desired!
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Saute the Veggies
Add the vegetable oil to a large pot and put the pot over medium heat until the oil warms.
Add the red onion to the oil and saute until the onions start to turn translucent. Add salt and then continue stirring until the onions start to brown lightly, but do not allow them to burn.
Add the tomatoes and the optional bouillon cube into the onions and stir (you can also add a green capsicum at this point if you would like to). Cover and allow this to simmer for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down and become juicy.
Step Two: Add the Greens
Add the collard greens and stir to saute for about 5 minutes over low heat until wilted. Stir almost continuously.
Once wilted, turn off the heat and serve!
Recipe researched with Jikonimagic, Cooking with Nimoh, and Infoods Specials. The recipe was approved by Sheila Mathu from Kenya.
Sukuma Wiki Variations
This dish is great because not only is it affordable but it’s also customizable.
I’ve seen it made with kale, spinach, or collard greens. I’ve also seen many recipes that include meat like ground beef, chicken, pork, fish, and even goat. You can easily make this recipe vegetarian by omitting the beef bouillon.
There are many different spices that go well in this dish. You may see it with lemon juice, ginger, garlic cloves, black pepper, green capsicum, paprika, curry powder or cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for a little extra heat. Feel free to play around with the spices you like.
You can omit the tomato or the bouillon cube. In fact, many people online recommended that I do so, while others stood strongly behind the tomato. Some people add spinach or kale in with the collard greens, and some do not.
You can use frozen greens if you want but they tend to release more liquid than fresh collard greens and the texture of the final dish will be more soft. Drain any excess water before serving.
Keeping Your Dish Green
Keeping the dish a beautiful green color is very important to a truly authentic Sukuma Wiki! To maintain a beautiful color on your collard greens, do not cover the pot. Covering the pot will change the color of the dish!
Once the collard greens are added, stir them almost continuously. The longer the greens sit directly on the heat, the more they turn brown.
Lastly, serve your Sukuma Wiki right away. Sukuma Wiki which has been left out for 20-30 minutes before serving will lose its beautiful and vibrant color.
Expert Tips
- Make sure and chop your collard greens very finely. This helps them cook more evenly and gives the dish a great texture. See the step-by-step photos for helpful images!
- You do not want to add any liquid or water to this dish as the collard green leaves release just the right amount of liquid naturally as they cook.
- The exact cook time may depend on your preference. Some people like their greens to still have a little bit of crisp to them and will only cook the dish for 3 to 5 minutes while others like the greens to be more tender and may like to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. You may want to taste as you go and see how you feel. Keep in mind the greens will continue to cook a little bit once removed from the heat.
FAQs
Collard greens are very healthy! They are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and calcium which have been shown to help your skin and hair, improve digestion, and even help with sleep and memory.
Sukuma Wiki can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Add it to your meals the next day and see how far it can stretch–just like the name says!
Sukuma Wiki can be served over rice or potatoes or alongside roasted or grilled meats. You can also cook meat and mix it right into the sukuma wiki to make a complete meal.
Sukuma wiki is often served with a cornmeal dish made with maize flour called ugali.
Did you like this recipe for Sukuma Wiki? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
Sukuma Wiki
Equipment
- Pot(s)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 large ripe tomato, diced (can also use 2 ripe roma tomatoes, diced)
- Salt, to taste
- 1 beef bouillon cube, or 1 tsp of powdered bouillon, optional
- 8 cups Collard greens, sliced very finely into small shreds
Instructions
- Add the vegetable oil to a large pot and put the pot over medium heat until the oil warms.
- Add the red onion into the oil and saute until the onions start to turn translucent. Add salt and then continue stirring until the onions start to brown lightly, but do not allow them to burn.
- Add the tomatoes and the optional bouillon cube into the onions and stir (you can also add a green capsicum at this point if you would like to). Cover and allow this to simmer for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down and become juicy.
- Add the collard greens and stir to saute for about 5 minutes over low heat until wilted. Stir almost continuously.
- Once wilted, turn off the heat and serve!
Notes
- Vegetable Oil: You can use just about any oil for this recipe. Substitute olive oil, ghee or even butter!
- Tomato: You can use one large tomato or two smaller tomatoes like Roma tomatoes. You could also use canned if that’s all you have on hand, but be sure and drain any excess liquid.
- Beef Bouillon: You can use a cube or powder.
- Collard Greens: Some people will make this recipe with kale instead of collard greens or in addition to it. You can also add spinach to the collard greens if desired!
- Make sure and chop your collard greens very finely. This helps them cook more evenly and gives the dish a great texture. See the step-by-step photos for helpful images!
- You do not want to add any liquid or water to this dish as the collard green leaves release just the right amount of liquid naturally as they cook.
- The exact cook time may depend on your preference. Some people like their greens to still have a little bit of crisp to them and will only cook the dish for 3 to 5 minutes while others like the greens to be more tender and may like to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. You may want to taste as you go and see how you feel. Keep in mind the greens will continue to cook a little bit once removed from the heat.
- You can omit the tomato or the bouillon cube. In fact, many people online recommended that I do so, while others stood strongly behind the tomato.
thomas says
This looks great. SADLY COLLARDS ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND ON WEST COAST OF Canada and super expensive when you find any. Dollar or more per leaf. Sold in ‘bunches’ of four or five leaves. Kale is available but collards are better for such a dish. I grew up with collards in Alabama. One of the few things I miss about my original home is the food. I can’t get turnip greens either unless I can grow the turnips myself. They laughed at me when I asked about turnip greens at the super market and told they did not sell pig feed at their store.
The leaves on the kohlrabi plant have taste and texture similar to collards. Double boiled like poke, except boiled longer. Desperation taught me that when in northern B.C. for a summer. My friends thought I had gone mad. It was good.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
That’s such an interesting workaround with kohlrabi leaves—I love how resourceful you were! It’s a shame collards are so hard to find on the West Coast of Canada, especially at those prices. I can imagine how much you must miss the food from Alabama. Do you ever try growing your own greens, or is that tough with the climate?