It was a warm, Sunday afternoon yesterday, and longing for some company, I decided to visit my sister. As the sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a soft golden light, I set out. Just a few kilometers from my place.
I hadn’t planned to cook, just chat a little, laugh a lot, and then head back home to prepare for the new week ahead. But as the evening approached, my stomach rumbled, I was hungry.
When I checked out the pots in the kitchen, no food that I liked. I rummaged, I needed something simple and quick, I found a handful of ripe tomatoes, green bunch of pumpkin leaves, and some Onions. It was all I needed to knock up something real quick.
Ingredients used
2 cups of rice.
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
2 large onions.
10 medium sized tomatoes.
A cup of pumpkin leaves.
Salt to taste.
Water.
I wash the onions, the tomatoes and the pumpkin leaves very thoroughly, to remove all traces of dirt.
I slice the onions and chop the tomatoes.
I cut the pumpkin leaves, popularly known as "Ugu" in my dialect, into thin strips.
After boiling the rice, I left it to drain off because this is local rice and I didn't want it mushy or sticky.
I put my pan on the fire.
And pour in four tablespoons of pure vegetable oil.
I heat the vegetable oil for 60 seconds and tossed in my sliced onions and tomatoes. There was no pepper so I had to do without.
I added salt to taste and stirred the mixture gently.
I covered the pan to cook the vegetables.
I cooked for 5 minutes because I love my cooked vegetables still having that raw taste.
Here's the tomatoes melting into a bright, rich sauce.
Then I add my pumpkin leaves.
Then I stir and cover. I let it cook for 5 minutes.
Then it is ready.
I dish out the sauce.
And then the Rice.
Tasting time.
Hmmm..... delicious 😋
It wasn’t a grand feast, it wasn't a sprawling buffet, not an elaborate three-course meal, it was just a plate of steaming rice with a vibrant tomatoes and vegetable sauce.
I hope you try it out. Enjoy!
All photos are my authorship.
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