East African Venison Sukuma Wiki
Sukuma wiki is a delicious East African dish of braised greens.
Though it is often served as a side for meats, I like to make it with meat cooked right into the recipe.
Venison is a great choice for that meat, though you could use beef or lamb as well.
This is a great dish to mix into your weeknight meal routine. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s very healthy.
One ingredient you may have a hard time sourcing is the palm oil. It can be found in any African grocery store, online, or even in some of the larger chains. I recommend getting some if you can; it adds a beautifully unique smokiness and richness to any dish it graces.
If you can’t find it, replace it with normal butter or vegetable oil, and increase the smoked paprika in the recipe.
Serve the sukuma wiki with rice, ugali (white cornmeal mush, similar to polenta), or with plantains like I did.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time25 min
- Total Time35 min
- Yield4 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2lb (225g) venison rump, round, sirloin, or loin
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) red palm oil (see intro)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-2 Scotch bonnet chilies, seeded and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon (1g) smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon (1g) ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) black pepper
- 1 chicken bouillon cube or a few shots of Maggi sauce (optional)
- 1 bunch collards or kale, washed, de-stemmed, and chopped
Preparation
Cut the venison into thin-ish strips, then cut those strips into smaller pieces.
Salt the meat generously.
Add the vegetable oil to a stainless steel or cast iron pan over high heat and sear the venison for about 5 minutes, or until it develops a just a touch of char.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and melt the palm oil in it over medium high heat.
Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, chili, spices, and bouillon (if using) and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add the meat and any juices back to the pan.
Add the collards/kale and 1/2 cup (125ml) water.
Stir everything together and cook for 10 minutes, or until the liquid has mostly evaporated, on medium low.
Taste for seasoning and add more salt if need-be.
Serve with rice, ugali (white cornmeal polenta), or plantains. I served mine with plantain matoke, another East African dish. Enjoy!
Share this recipe:
You might also like:
