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Spicy Collard Greens with Tomatoes and Peanuts
Hardy greens stewed with tomatoes and peanuts and spiked with chili is a staple food in parts of Africa. For our version of the dish called muriwo unedovi, we use collards, as they hold up well under the intensity of pressure cooking and the prolonged heat of slow cooking. The peanuts are in the form of chunky peanut butter; it lends the potlikker (cooking liquid) creaminess while also adding rich roasted nut flavor. Black-eyed peas aren’t customary, but they make the greens substantial enough that they can be served as a vegetarian main. Rice or cornbread are excellent sides to these greens.
4
Servings
Tip
Don't be afraid of the habanero chilies. They're left whole so they contribute their characteristic fruitiness without releasing overwhelmingly spicy heat.
FAST: 1¼ hours
Slow: 9 to 9½ hours
35 minutes active
Ingredients
-
1
tablespoon coconut oil, preferably unrefined
-
1
medium yellow onion, chopped
Directions
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01On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, half the tomatoes, 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chilies, 1½ cups water and the collards; stir to combine, then distribute in an even layer.
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October 5, 2022
Go To Greens!
I make this over and over again. This is so flavorful and hearty. Thank you for this recipe.
The first time I had greens (it was spinach) mixed with peanut butter; it was at a Black Cultural Center event at my college about 15 years ago. I remember being completely blown away by how good the flavors were together even then. This takes it to a whole new level! I agree with Eric; I've had times (Yes, I've made this a few times) where the habaneros have blown out and made the dish super hot. Instead of using them, I'd recommend using about a tablespoon of Nando's Peri-Peri sauce (Hot). The flavor is a bit more complex, gives it a little bit of heat but all the fruitiness one gets from the habaneros.
I also wanted to add that I frequently use two bags of frozen collards from the Pictsweet brand. They are both 14oz's. This doesn't seem to be a big deal; I just increase the salt a bit and add an extra tablespoon of peanut butter and it seems to work just fine. Again, I really love this dish.
I made this in a pressure cooker, which really reduced the time it typically takes to braise collards! This recipe is pretty fail-safe and flexible. I accidentally added all the tomatoes at first and used two rather large bunches of collards and it was wonderful. Just sautee the greens, when they wilt, add more. I used chipotle peppers (from the can) and the flavor was great with their smokiness! After the pressure cooking, I added peanut butter and a can of chickpeas.
This recipe is a keeper!
We love heat and this was generally fine for us, but going forward I would probably reduce it to one habanero. I purchased one pound of collards but as I cut them and got to 3 cups I only used 1/2 of what I had. Also, I think this is 4 pretty small servings. It seemed like more of a side dish, so I would either try to increase it somehow or make sure you have something additional with it.
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I made this recipe last night and, while it was delicious, I need to give a warning: Those habaneros the recipe says not to worry about because you're putting them in whole? Well, at least for me, they totally disintegrated during cooking, and released that "overwhelming heat" this promises you'll avoid. I enjoy burning my mouth off, but I don't want anyone else being caught by surprise. It might be better to cut them in half and seed them before cooking this if you're worried.