pumpkin recipes

Pumpkin cubes Kalenjin-style

Ingredients

• 1 medium pumpkin
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 litre water
• 4 tbsp cooking oil

Wash the pumpkin and cut into six near - equal portions. Peel each piece as to remove the outer skin and remove the inner fibers and seeds, leaving only the pumpkin flesh. Chop into large, evenly - sized cubes. Wash the cubes and put in a porous basin to drain excess water.

Put cooking oil into a large pot, heat and add the drained pumpkin cubes. Add sufficient water to submerge the cubes and add 1 tsp. of salt.

Cover the pot, bring to a boil and allow the cubes to simmer for 25-30 minutes.Remove from the stove and stir the cubes to allow the uncooked ones to sink to the bottom of the pot.

Return the pot to heat and allow to simmer for 10-20 minutes.Remove from the stove and drain excess water from the cooked cubes.

This preparation provides 4 servings and is beat eaten while still hot with fresh milk or tea.

Pumpkin leaves with coconut milk

Ingredients

• ¼ kg pumpkin leaves (1 large bunch)
• ¼ kg crotolaria leaves (1 large bunch)
• 1 tbsp traditional salt (mishereka)
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup mashed peanuts
• ½ tsp salt

Wash the pumpkin and crotolaria leaves and slice the pumpkin leaves into small pieces. Bring 1 liter of water to boil, add common and traditional salt and then add the leaves to this boiling mixture. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir and then add milk and return to boil. Add the mashed peanuts (groundnuts) and boil for 10 minutes. Salt to taste.

This preparation provides 4-6 servings and is best served with ugali or another mashed starch.

Pumpkin leaves with pounded groundnut and milk

Ingredients

• 1 kg young pumpkin leaves
• ½ cup of water
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium onions
• ½ liter fresh milk
• pounded groundnuts(peanuts)
• 1 tsp cooking oil

Peel off the outer fiber of the leaf stems, wash the remaining leaves and then slice the pumpkin leaves and then slice the pumpkin leaves into smaller pieces. Bring 1 liter of water to a boil. add traditional salt and then add the shredded pumpkin leaves. Cover and boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the leaves are boiled, drain away excess liquid and set aside.

In another pan, fry the onions in the cooking oil golden brown, then add the peeled tomatoes in to cook for two additional minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cooked pumpkin leaves and mix well, then simmer for 10 minutes.Add the milk and the pounded groundnuts, again stir thoroughly. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes with occasional stirring.

This preparation provides 4 servings and is best served with hot Ugali.

Water spinach and pumpkin leaves

Ingredients

• ½ kg water spinach shoots
• ½ kg young pumpkin leaves
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup cream
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 3 tbp traditional salt (Luhya brine)

Separate the leaves of water spinach from the stems and wash with water being careful to remove all snails. Separate pumpkin leaves from stems and wash, then chop pumpkin leaves into small pieces and mix with the water spinach.

Mix ¼ cup of water, salt and luhya brine in a pot and bring to near boiling. Add the mixed leaves and boil for 10 minutes.Add Cooking oil to frying pan over medium heat, fry the onion until clear and then add the cream and then the boiled leaves, stirring occasionally.

This preparation provides 6 servings and is beat accompanied by hot ugali. Its specially recommended to breast- feeding mothers. The finer water spinach stems may also be chopped and cooked with the leaves for slightly different taste and texture.

Fried pumpkin leaves

Ingredients

• 2 bunches pumpkin leaves
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes
• ½ cup of water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp fat

Wash and chop the pumpkin leaves.Blanch, skin and chop the tomatoes.Boil the pumpkin leaves in water for 10 minutes.

Fry the onion in fat until brown, add the tomatoes and salt and cook for 3 minutes.Add the pumpkin leaves and simmer for 3 minutes.

Serve hot with ugali and meat dishes