Muboora unedovi

A fateful thing happened yesterday. The landscape practitioners who fix up the complex where we live, cut my pumpkin squash plant into two. I was so hurt as this was the only plant to have survived this far and some of the squash had already started budding. Ah well, next time.

From a post I did in 2011, you will know I love muboora (pumpkin leaves), I could eat it everyday and I will be fine. The last time I made it with just cooking oil. You can make it in three ways I know, with cooking oil, fresh cream or in peanut butter sauce.  I love it either way. Here is how you would cook it with peanut butter sauce, well at least this is how I do it.

Ingredients

30 pumpkin leaves (see here on how you prepare them)

baking soda(optional)

1 small diced onion

1 small diced tomato

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp peanut butter

Method

Cut the pumpkin leaves into ribbons, both my grandmothers do not even both with a knife they just tear the leaves. The little squash and pumpkin blossoms make it taste even better so do not throw them out.

Bring to boil 1 cup salted water. If your pumpkin leaves are old and tough, add a teaspoon full of baking soda. Add the pumpkin leaves to the pot.

Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a colander and let the water drain.

Saute the onion and tomato in the olive oil, using the pot emptied above.

Add the peanut butter and stir. Add a 1/4 cup of water and the red pepper flakes or chilli. Reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes.

Add back the pumpkin leaves to the pot and stir.

Let the pot simmer on low heat for about three minutes or so. Make sure that the heat is not too much otherwise it will burn.

Serve with Sadza or Rice.