Ellen Kanner

soulful vegan writer

  • About
  • Miami Vegan – New Cookbook!
  • CONSULTATION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • RESOURCES
  • RECIPES
  • Video
  • Shop
  • Appearances
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • $0.00
You are here: Home / MAIN COURSE / Sukuma Wiki – Stretch the Week and Celebrate Greens

Sukuma Wiki – Stretch the Week and Celebrate Greens

February 27, 2023 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

 We end Black History Month with a Swahili language lesson — sukuma wiki.  It means “stretch the week.”  It also means stretch your budget and get your greens on. This great dish of the African diaspora is a delicious way to make the most of seasonal, regional greens whatever the season, and wherever you live, from collards to callaloo, spinach to sweet potato. 

Sukuma wiki takes greens —any kind and in any combination — and treats them to a quick sauté with aromatics, spices, and tomatoes. The heat tames the greens, and they wilt right down. They’re tender with a bright color and flavor that’s a world away from greens slow-cooked till they’re gray, limp, and defeated.  Best of all, sukuma wiki is a week and budget stretcher but a snap to make. 

Jump to the recipe or stick around for more sukuma wiki stuff.

How to Make Sukuma Wiki

  1. In a Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. 
  2. Add the chopped onion and ginger and cook, stirring now and then until they start to soften and turn gold, about 5 minutes.  
  3. Add minced garlic and cumin, coriander and turmeric. Continue stirring and cooking another few minutes, or until all the vegetables are gilded in the spiced oil.
  4. Add tomatoes, all your greens, and water or broth.  Mix together well. 
  5. When the pot comes to simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and let everybody cook for about 15 minutes, until greens are softened, with a flavor that sings of their greenness. If they’ve thrown off a lot of liquid, continue cooking a few minutes more with the lid off, stirring occasionally, so any excess liquid cooks away. 
  6. Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and season generously with sea salt and pepper.  Sprinkle in chopped cilantro, if using, stir and serve.

What greens make the best sukuma wiki?  Whatever’s in season. Go with a single green or make up a combo of what’s fresh from your garden or farmers market.  Kale, cabbage, chard, collards, turnip greens, mustard greens, even hairier, harder to love greens like radish tops respond to a little sukuma wiki love.  So do the leafy greens of Africa — baobob, Shona cabbage, jute, molokhia, calalloo and sweet potato.

Greens play a bigger role in the traditional foodways of Africa than they do in the Mediterranean Diet.

Sukuma wiki isn’t the only way Africa does greens.  It’s related to Ethiopian gomen wat and njamma jamma, another gift of greens from the African diaspora.  Originally from Cameroon, it’s made there with local greens like huckleberry or sweet potato. In the States, it’s usually made with spinach, but it loses nothing in the translation. It’s my favorite thing to eat at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, with plenty of hot sauce.

In Africa and the Caribbean and even Miami, with its Afro-Caribbean crops and culture, the perfect pairing for sukuma wiki is fufu, dumplings made with green plantain and yucca aka cassava. But it’s equally enjoyable with other belly-fillers like rice, grits, or cornbread.   Any way you serve it up, sukuma wiki’s a fitting salute to Black History Month, and a delicious way to get your greens on. 

Discover more of Africa’s kitchen riches with Oldways’ African Heritage Diet. Understanding and appreciating its origins makes the foods we love even more delicious.

Sukuma Wiki

Sukuma wiki is Swahili for stretch the week. It’s a budget-stretcher for sure, a quick and delicious way to manage your fridge full of greens, and gift of the African diaspora.Enjoy with rice, grits, cornbread or fufu.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed or coconut oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger well-chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 large tomatoes coarsely chopped or 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 pound colllards callaloo, kale, or any combination of dark leafy greens, tough stems discarded, well-cleaned and coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup water or vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1 handful cilantro chopped (optional)

Instructions
 

  • In a Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and ginger and cook, stirring now and then until they start to soften and turn gold, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cumin, coriander and turmeric. Continue stirring and cooking another few minutes, or until all the vegetables are gilded in the spiced oil.
  • Add tomatoes, all your greens, and water or broth. Mix together well. When the pot comes to simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and let everybody cook for about 15 minutes, until greens are softened, with a flavor that sings of their greenness. If they’ve thrown off a lot of liquid, continue cooking a few minutes more with the lid off, stirring occasionally, so any excess liquid cooks away.
  • Turn off the heat, add lemon juice and season generously with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle in chopped cilantro, if using, stir and serve.

Notes

Recipe doubles easily. 

More African inspiration 

  • Yam, black-eyed peas and peanuts, three African crops, come together in this bodacious Kwanzaa Bowl
  • Sweet, creamy African-American sweet potato and peanut stew is one of people’s favorites from my book, Feeding the Hungry Ghost
  • Curried Caribbean pumpkin dip, known in Trinidad as pumpkin talkari, is luscious starter rich with Afro-Caribbean flavors 
  • Tanya Holland shows off black-eyed peas and benne, sesame seeds in this recipe from her book, Tanya Holland’s California Soul.
  • Taste some Lowcountry love with Gullah Diva Sallie Ann Robinson’s tomato, corn, lima and okra soup.
  • Dr. Jessica B. Harris, High on the Hog
  • Hawa Hassan, In Bibi’s Kitchen
  • Tanya Holland, Miss Tanya Holland’s California Soul
  • Kwame Onwuachi, My America
  • Matthew Raiford, Bress N’ Nyam
  • Toni Tipton-Martin, Jubilee
  • Michael Twitty, Koshersoul 

dividerEK


dividerEKThank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

Connect with me for discounts, exclusive tips, and other freebies:
• Join my NEWSLETTER for exclusive content & offers
• Join my social networks on LINKEDIN, TWITTER and FACEBOOK

Want to learn more?
Explore more of my VEGAN RECIPES, and my COOK BOOKS.
Do you want a happier life, a greener plate, and a delicious world? Then sign up for VEG THERAPY.



Filed Under: LIGHT MEALS, MAIN COURSE, veggie dish

« Mardi Gras Mushroom Étouffée
Dal in Living Color »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Ellen Kanner ELLEN KANNER is a soulful vegan writer on food, wellness and sustainability with over 15 years' experience. She's a recipe developer for numerous publications...[Read More] .

~ Work With Ellen ~

She is available for speaking engagements, consultations, and cooking demonstrations. To book a paid speaking gig, contact her.

~ available Cookbooks ~

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Upcoming Events

Jun
1
Sun
2:00 pm Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Bo... @ Robert is Here
Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Bo... @ Robert is Here
Jun 1 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Book Signing @ Robert is Here
Join Ellen Kanner for a Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Book Signing at Robert is Here Fruit Stand and Farm on June 1, 2025.  
Jun
12
Thu
6:00 pm Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Bo... @ Vizcaya Night Market
Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Bo... @ Vizcaya Night Market
Jun 12 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Book Signing @ Vizcaya Night Market
Join Ellen Kanner for a Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Book Signing at Vizcaya Night Market on June 12, 2025.  
Jun
21
Sat
9:00 am Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Bo... @ Fruit and Spice Park’s Summer Fruit Festival
Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Bo... @ Fruit and Spice Park’s Summer Fruit Festival
Jun 21 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Book Signing @ Fruit and Spice Park’s Summer Fruit Festival
Join Ellen Kanner for a Miami Vegan Demo, Tasting and Book Signing at Fruit and Spice Park’s Summer Fruit Festival on June 21, 2025.  
View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Recent Publications

Healthy Recipes for National Nutrition Month

How to Become an Olive Oil Sommelier

I Asked 5 Chefs How to Cook the Crispiest Brussels Sprouts—This Is Their Top Method

7 Great Cocktails that Use Fruit Liqueur

Why Are So Many Vegan Restaurants Closing? | VegNews

Like Absinthe? You’ll Love These Cocktails | Alcohol Professor

What the Heck is Hrenovuha? | Alcohol Professor

Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day — Or Is It? | Huffington Post

Is a Wine Cooler Better than a Wine Refrigerator? | Alcohol Professor

Florida Citrus “Punches You in the Face with Flavor” Take it from Florida Future Chef Remy Powell – Edible South

7 Bartender Approved Fruit Liqueurs You Need | Alcohol Professor

How Risky Is It To Drink Eggnog? Food Safety Experts Share Their Concerns

Veg News – The Holiday Issue

How Old School Grape Crushing by Foot Makes Better Wine | Alcohol Professor

Edible South Florida Winter 2023

What Is British Cheese Rolling? | The Cheese Professor

Around the World in Cornmeal Mush | Whetstone Magazine

Adaptogens and Healthful Botanicals Trend in Cocktails | The Alcohol Professor

Discovering A Brave New World of Vegan Chocolates

Is Olive Oil Good For Us? | Huffpost

Currently Featured On

Vegan Means Business
This was hosted by my chapter of LDEI and is only supposed to be available on YouTube through September 4.

Brahma Kumaris Miami interview with Meredith Porte

Vegan Cinco de Mayo: Vegan Date-Sweetened Chocolate Love Bites & Mango Black Bean Salad

Vedge Your Best – The Plant-Based Podcast – Michele Olender

Professional Associations

~Contributing Columnist ~

Ellen Kanner
Ellen Kanner

~ Search Site ~

RSS Newsletter

  • Broccoli Rising, Miami Vegan, and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt 1 May 12, 2025
  • Broccoli Rising and All Over Creation May 5, 2025
  • Broccoli Rising and the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread April 28, 2025
  • Broccoli Rising and 21 Earth Day Actions that Mean the World April 21, 2025
  • Broccoli Rising and the Gastronomical We April 14, 2025

~ Signup for my Newsletter~

~ Follow on Instagram ~

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed with the ID 1 found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

© 2025 ELLEN KANNER