Spider Plant Recipe

Spider plant cooked with sour milk

Ingredients

• 1 kg spider plant leaves (4 bunches)
• ½ liter sour milk
• 1 liter water
• 1 tbsp cooking fat
• ½ tbsp salt

Separate the leaves and stems of spider herb, discard the stems and wash leaves with fresh water and drain.

Bring 1 liter water to boil, add the leaves and allow this to simmer for 1 hr, stirring occasionally.

Add the cooking fat and salt and stir and the sour milk. Simmer for an additional 5-10 min, stirring occasionally.

Preparing spider plant vegetable with milk reduces this green's bitter taste. Fresh milk may be substituted for sour milk.

Preparation yields 4 portions and is best served with ugali/wimbi (cooked finger millet).

Spider plant with sweet potato and pumpkin Kisii-style

Ingredients

• 1 kg spider plant (4 bunches)
• ¼ kg sweet potatoes
• ¼ kg pumpkin
• 2 ltr water
• 1 tbsp salt

Remove impurities and stems from spider plant, discard stems and place leaves in a basin. Wash the leaves thoroughly using clean water.

Peel 300 g sweet potatoes/300 g pumpkin and cut it into small cubes of about 2.5 cm. Place a medium-sized pot containing the water on a medium fire, bring to a boil and add salt. When the water is boiling, slowly add the spider plant leaves taking care not to compact the leaves as they cook.

Add the sliced sweet potatoes and pumpkin, cover and simmer for 45 min, remove the cover and stir gently. After another 15 min remove from the fire.

The preparation may be eaten immediately but is considered to be most tasty if allowed to stand for 6 or more hours and then reheated, served and eaten at least some 6 or more hrs after cooking it. This recipe yields 8-10 portions and is best served with freshly prepared ugali/wimbi (finger millet).

Spider plant with coconut milk

Ingredients

• 1 kg spider plant leaves (4 bunches)
• 1 liter water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 medium onion
• 3 medium tomatoes
• ½ liter coconut milk

Method

Harvest the young spider plant leaves including the stem tips then remove the leaf stalks. Wash the leaves with clean water and cut into small pieces.

Place into a pot containing 1 teaspoon of salt and boil over a medium fire for 30 min. As the leaves cook, drain excess water from the pot and add more clean water every 10 min.

When the leaves are cooked, drain the excess water (if any), mash in a pot and add oil/cow fat. After 3 min, add onions and cook for 3 min, then add tomatoes and coconut milk (or fresh cow's milk), then cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally.

Provides 4-6 medium portions. Best served with chapati, rice or ugali. To mix with other vegetables, boil pumpkin leaves and spider plant separately. When cooked, mix both then mash in one pot. Spider plant is said to replenish blood and thus referred to as 'traditional meat'.