Let's Cook - Chisoso Chotendera (Traditional African Vegetable)

Hello everyone, it has been a minute. Got caught up in work but I'm back now. Today we will be cooking Chisoso Chotendera, this is basically Blackjack cooked with groundnut flour. It is delicious! My Mum says back in the village when she was growing up, this was considered meat - at least to her...not sure it would be the same for me LOL meat is meat.

Blackjack, Bidens pilosa is a cosmopolitan weed, originating from South America and common in all tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In Africa Bidens pilosa is recorded as a weed in many countries and it is likely to occur in all countries, including the Indian Ocean islands. It is reported as a vegetable or potherb among others in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’ Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Black jack as a vegetable and medicinal plant is frequently found in small quantities on local markets. The young plants or leaves and shoots are collected from the wild or from the field during weeding. In southern African countries it is usually found on the markets early during the rainy season when other fresh vegetables are scarce. Dried black jack leaves are especially important during periods of food scarcity in the dry season. Read more here.

So basically, Blackjack - Chisoso as it is called here in Malawi is a weed. Weeds can be eaten too and below is one of the many recipes:

Ingredients

• Chisoso (Blackjack) washed thoroughly and shredded / cut up
• 1 big Tomato - cubed
• Nseula - the local variety cow peas, small pods with purple markings (optional)
• Nsinjiro (Groundnut flour)
• Some water
• Salt

Instructions

1. Boil some water in a pot. Not too much water. Add some salt in the water.
2. Add your chopped vegetables to the boiling salted water. Turn your vegetables then add your tomato cubes. Let them cook with the veggies for some 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the Nsinjiro - Groundnut flour. I used about 5 tablespoons but you can use more or less depending on the quantity of veggies you have and also depending on your love for it like me :) Add some water to your veggies so that you have a stew (you do not want it to be dry after adding the Nsinjiro)
4. You can also add your cow peas - Nseula to the pot if you want to / have them.
5. Let it cook for some 15-20 minutes. Serve with Nsima

NB. I do not cover the pot when cooking because I feel like the vegetables lose their natural green color - I like to see the green.

I also prefer to let it cook till the nsinjiro turns to a deep yellowish hue..till you can smell the rich aroma.

It is best to cook the young tender leaves because the older leaves are a bit tougher and their taste is somewhat stronger.

Salt, Tomatoes and Chisoso

Cow peas (Nseula)

Chisoso in the pot before adding the Nsinjiro

Cooked Chisoso ready to be served

Bon appetit!

Hyacintha
xoxo