Have you ever cooked with Pumpkin leaves? I was very aware the Congolese loved to use them but I never knew how until Jeannine showed us.
Using freshly picked pumpkin leaves (and tomatoes) from the garden at St Paul’s African House Jeannine showed us how to prepare the pumpkin leaves. Destringing (I think you’d call it) was a bit tricky. Rosalie and I were a bit slower than Jeannine who did many leaves to our few. I think she’s use to cooking large amounts and has had many practice. Jeannine certainly made it look very easy. She cooked the most deeeeeelicious Pumpkin leaves with Fish Congolese style.
It was great to see how this was cooked but just as lovely were the stories that Jeannine shared with us as she cooked about nutrition and whole lot more.
We are so lucky to learn and share with one another and fill our bellies too with food right next door 🙂
The garden is a great place to chat and gather food with friends
Here is a rough recipe I wrote down as Jeannine cooked –
Pumpkin leaves –
Gather approximately 25 pumpkin leaves
De-string and break up
In medium saucepan boil on 1 finely chopped onion with 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and 3 tablespoons of minced peanuts with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the pumpkin leaves plus 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 chopped tomatoes and add more salt to taste. After approximately 20 minutes add 1 1/2 dessertspoon of vegetable stock powder.
Cook until pumpkin stalks are tender (roughly about 30 minutes)
Fish –
Soak fish pieces in water and marinate in lime juice (Jeannine used Telopea fish bought from Footscray market)
Slit fish and rub in ground coriander seeds
Lightly coat the fish in around 3 tablespoons of vegetable stock and 2 dessertspoons of minced garlic
Cook fish in vegetable oil in pan with enough oil to almost cover the fish. Cook very well and until dark brown.
Drain on paper towelling in colander.
Ugali –
Use 2 cups of semolina mixed 1/2 cup of sago flour
Put half mixture in cold water in saucepan. Stir as you bring it to the boil.
Gradually add in remaining semolina/sago mix and stir to thicken
Mix and adjust water levels to consistency needed to hold together strongly.
Serve and enjoy
If you wish to eat Congolese style eat with your fingers rolling up a ball of Ugali and gather up the other foods.
