The Sunday Mail
COWPEAS (nyemba) are among our nutritious indigenous foods. They can help in the management of diabetes and weight loss, as well as ensuring a healthy digestive system. There are many ways of preparing cowpeas, other than having them as part of your mutakura. Here, we present one of them.
Ingredients
250g dried cowpeas; Three cups water; Two large cloves garlic; One-and-a-half teaspoon salt; One teaspoon tomato paste; One medium onion, chopped; Half teaspoon curry powder; Two large tomatoes, chopped; Two carrots, chopped; Quarter punnet green beans, chopped; Two-and-a-half tablespoons oil; Two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Utensils needed
Medium-sized pot; Chopping board; Sharp knife; Wooden spoon
Directions
- Get your ingredients together.
- Put your cowpeas in the pot. Add water, garlic and salt (one teaspoon). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer until tender and cooked (took about one hour 30 minutes on my stove). Do not overcook, otherwise it will become messy and mashed up when you prepare the soup.
- Drain and reserve any excess water. Remove the cooked cowpeas from the pot and set aside. Add oil to the same pot.
- Add onions and curry powder. Fry for two minutes. Add tomatoes, salt (half teaspoon) and tomato paste. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, a little bit of the reserved excess water and the cowpeas.
- Stir until well combined, add carrots and green beans. Allow to simmer on low heat for five to eight minutes, giving time for the flavours to marry, as well as for the vegetables to get cooked.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Enjoy! — Zimbokitchen
