Mukimu with Sweet Potato Leaves | Nutritious Kenyan Mukimo Recipe
This delicious mukimu with sweet potato leaves combines soft Irish potatoes, preboiled maize, peas, and sautéed sweet potato leaves for a nutritious, vibrant, and comforting Kenyan meal. Perfect for family lunches, dinners, or hospitality meals. Plus, don't miss the short video tutorial at the end of this post for extra guidance.
Equipment
- Pressure cooker (or regular cooking pot/sufuria)
- Small saucepan or frying pan
- knife
- chopping board
- Wooden spoon for mashing (mwiko)
- Wooden spoon for stirring
- measuring cups
- Colander or basin for washing vegetables
- Serving bowl or plate
Ingredients
- 5 cups preboiled maize
- 5 cups preboiled peas
- About 20 medium Irish potatoes (waru), peeled and chopped
- About 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- A generous bunch of sweet potato leaves (to fill your hands)
- 5 tbsps vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- A little extra salt for the vegetables
- About 2 cups water
Instructions
Prepare the Potatoes, Maize, and Peas
Into a pressure cooker, add the peeled and chopped Irish potatoes, preboiled maize, preboiled peas, salt, and about 2 cups of water.Cover and place on high heat until the pressure cooker begins making a whistling sound. Reduce the heat and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes.If you do not have a pressure cooker, simply boil everything in a regular sufuria until the potatoes are completely soft.Switch off the heat and allow the pressure to reduce fully before opening the cooker.Prepare the Sweet Potato Leaves
Meanwhile, thoroughly wash the sweet potato leaves and loosely chop them.In a small saucepan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the chopped onion until lightly golden and fragrant.Add a little salt and stir.Add the sweet potato leaves and mix well with the onions. Cover and reduce the heat. Allow the leaves to cook for about 3–5 minutes until softened and wilted.Give everything a final stir and switch off the heat.Mash the Mukimu
Once all the steam has safely escaped from the pressure cooker, open it carefully.Add the cooked sweet potato leaves into the potatoes, maize, and peas mixture.Using a mwiko or potato masher, mash everything thoroughly until well combined.The sweet potato leaves blend beautifully into the mukimu, giving it a naturally vibrant green color and delicious flavor.
Video
Notes
Serving Suggestions
Serve your mukimu with sweet potato leaves hot with:- Beef stew
- Chicken stew
- Fried meat
- Traditional vegetables
- Tea for a simple comforting meal
Tips for the Best Mukimu with Sweet Potato Leaves
- Use soft, fresh sweet potato leaves for the best texture.
- Preboiled maize and peas help reduce cooking time significantly.
- Do not add too much water to avoid soggy mukimu.
- Mash while still hot for the smoothest texture.
- You can adjust the amount of sweet potato leaves depending on how green you want the mukimu.