Mchicha - Tanzanian Spinach & Peanut Curry.

Um Safia's Note:

Mchicha is a very traditional dish in Tanzania & can be made like this with peanut butter - homemade or natural is best - or it can be made with a whole coconut (grated flesh & milk) instead. Posted for ZWT 4.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 lbs spinach
• 1 ½ ounces peanut butter
• 1 tomato
• 1 onion
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (or paste, your favourite blend!)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons ghee or 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Wash the spinach & roughly chop. De-skin the tomato, peel and chop. Peel and chop the onion.
2. Mix the peanut butter with the coconut milk in a jug & set aside.
3. Heat the ghee . butter over a medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion, tomato, salt and curry powder / paste and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onion becomes soft.
4. Add the spinach, continue cooking for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the spinach is cooked.
5. Pour the peanut butter and coconut milk mixture into the pan & stir gently to mix.
6. Simmer, for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to ensure that the mixture does not stick to the pot.
7. This dish makes a lovely side dish, & can also be eaten with rice, ugali or samp and beans to form a delicious main course.

Reviews

[Tau Kai]

Great version of mchicha! I went to high school in Tanzania and learned how to make it from my friends' parents. In the Iringa area they didn't use peanut butter or peanuts, though, and usually added garlic to the onion. I love how much thicker and creamier it is with the peanut butter addition! Sometimes, depending on availability, mchicha would be just tomato, onion, garlic, and greens (the greens would be a bit different from our spinach here). When money was tight, you'd eat it with ugali, a sort of corn mash thicker than grits, but over rice was my favorite.

[Rhiannon Deux]

I've been making this for a couple of years (although I just had it to look again because MyCookbook lost a bunch if its links) and it's amazing! We love it over white rice with some naan on the side. (Yes, I know it's not Indian, but it really works well with naan!)

[JenFire]

great recipe and so easy to make. Great hit with my vegetarian guests. I will be using more tomato and onion next time. I felt there wasn't enough of this in it. delicious!