AI-generated image
Saget
Spider plant greens in soured milk
Isageek: Kalenjin spider-plant leaves simmered with soured milk
Spider plant, saget to the Kalenjin and sagaa in Swahili, grows in every kitchen garden around Eldoret and Kericho, and its slightly bitter, peppery leaves are boiled and then softened with mursik or cream to go with ugali. The result is tender, dark greens in a tangy, creamy sauce, bitter in a pleasant way like rapini. Look for fresh or frozen spider-plant leaves at African grocers (sometimes sold as African cabbage or cleome); don't pick wild plants, and if you can't find them, use spinach with a handful of kale or mustard greens for the bite. Letting the milk boil hard is where people slip: it curdles into grainy bits, so add it over a low heat. Chef's tip: some homesteads cook saget the day before and leave it overnight in its milk; it mellows and tastes even better reheated gently.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb spider-plant leaves (saget)fresh, picked from stems, or frozen; or 400 g spinach plus 100 g kale
- 6 ¼ cups waterfor boiling
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- ¾ cup mursik or cultured buttermilkor 100 ml single cream for a milder finish
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Wash fresh 1 ⅛ lb spider-plant leaves (saget) in several changes of water until no grit remains. Frozen leaves can go straight into the pot.
Step 2: Bring 6 ¼ cups water to the boil with half of the ⅜ tsp salt. Add the leaves and boil uncovered over a medium-high heat until very tender and dark, about 15 minutes. This first boil draws out much of the bitterness. (Spinach and kale need only 3–4 minutes.)
15 minStep 3: Drain well, pressing out the water with a spoon, and chop roughly.
Step 4: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry 1 onion until soft and pale gold.
5 minStep 5: Add the greens and the rest of the ⅜ tsp salt and stir for 2 minutes to dry them slightly.
2 minStep 6: Turn the heat to low, pour in ¾ cup mursik or cultured buttermilk and stir gently until it is hot and coats the leaves, about 5 minutes; keep it just below a simmer so it doesn't curdle.
5 minStep 7: Taste for salt and serve warm with ugali.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does saget take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of mursik or cultured buttermilk?
- Milk with lemon juice or white vinegar: 1 tbsp per 240ml (1 cup) milk, left for 5 minutes.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
TashmijabiMashed potatoes with stretchy cheese
Potatoes grow well in the cold valleys of Svaneti, and tashmijabi is how families around Mestia turn them into a feast dish: they are mashed hot, then beaten with handfuls of young sulguni until the purée becomes glossy and stretches from the spoon in long strands. It is served with grilled meat, kubdari or simply with pickles and Svan salt. A common mistake is letting the potatoes cool before adding the cheese; they must be piping hot for the cheese to melt and stretch. Chef's tip: keep the pan on a low heat while you beat, and use a firm wooden spoon. Most sulguni uses animal rennet; choose a vegetarian one or use mozzarella.
Georgian
Jamaican callalooSteamed callaloo greens
In Jamaica, callaloo means the leaves and tender stems of a type of amaranth, sold in big bundles in every market from Coronation Market in Kingston to Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth. It's steamed down with onion, tomato, garlic and thyme into soft, savoury greens with a mild mineral sweetness, and eaten at breakfast with fried dumplings, boiled green bananas or hard dough bread, or as a side at dinner. Spinach or Swiss chard can stand in if you can't find callaloo. Chef's tip: peel the fibrous skin from the thicker stems with a small knife and slice the stems and leaves finely across, about 1 cm wide. That's how Jamaican cooks get callaloo that's tender all the way through rather than stringy.
Jamaican
Yorkshire puddings
In Yorkshire the pudding was once served first, on its own with gravy, to fill people up before the meat; today these puffed, crisp-edged cups sit beside the roast at Sunday lunch all over England. The batter is nothing but eggs, flour and milk, and the trick is in the heat: smoking-hot fat in the tin and a hot oven. Serve with onion gravy for a vegetarian roast. Chef's tip: rest the batter for at least 30 minutes, which helps the puddings rise tall and even.
British