Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Mkhwani
Tender pumpkin leaves simmered with groundnut flour into a creamy green relish, eaten with nsima across Malawi.
Malawian · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 20 min
~225 cal · 10g protein · 19g carbs · 15g fat · 4g fiber · 8g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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In Malawi, no meal feels complete without a relish, or ndiwo, to eat with nsima, the stiff maize porridge that is the heart of the national diet. Mkhwani is one of the most common of these relishes, made from the tender leaves and shoots of the pumpkin plant, which grow abundantly in gardens across the country.
The leaves are simmered with tomato and onion, then finished with a generous spoon of ground roasted groundnuts (peanut flour), which melts in to make the greens creamy, rich, and satisfying. This pairing of leafy greens and groundnut flour is a signature of Malawian cooking, nutritious and thrifty, turning a garden's spare leaves into a dish everyone looks forward to alongside their nsima.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 lb pumpkin leaves (or spinach or chard), chopped
2 tomato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup roasted groundnut flour (peanut flour)
Instructions
1
Simmer the onion and tomato with a splash of water until soft.
2
Add the greens and cook until they wilt and soften, about 8 minutes.
3
Stir in the groundnut flour and a little water and simmer until it thickens and coats the greens.
✎ Chef’s note
Add the groundnut flour toward the end and keep the heat gentle so it stays creamy rather than splitting.
4
Season with salt and serve with nsima or rice.
Malawian home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Lilongwe. Lake Malawi runs a third of the country's length and supplies most of its protein. Fish is grilled fresh at the shore or dried in the sun and carried inland, and the maize that becomes nsima is pounded, soaked and milled repeatedly to get the fine white flour Malawians actually want.
🗺️
Malawi. Ndiwo is the word for the relish, and it does the work of making nsima into a meal: pumpkin leaves or cassava leaves pounded and cooked with groundnut flour, or beans, or fish. Nsima is turned with a wooden spoon until it is stiff enough to hold a thumbprint, and a piece is used to scoop.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Malawi
Grilled Chambo with NsimaLake Malawi's prized chambo fish, grilled whole, with nsima and a tomato-onion relish.
ZitumbuwaMalawian banana fritters: very ripe bananas bound with a little cornmeal and deep-fried into sweet, golden, craggy morsels.
Mbatata CookiesSoft, lightly spiced biscuits made from mashed sweet potato, a homey Malawian teatime treat.
Browse all Malawi recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Malawi meal
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Mbatata CookiesDessert
Kondowole with Greens RelishDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Mkhwani?
Tender pumpkin leaves simmered with groundnut flour into a creamy green relish, eaten with nsima across Malawi.
Where does Mkhwani come from?
Mkhwani is a Malawian dish from Lilongwe, Malawi.
Can Mkhwani be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Mkhwani recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Mkhwani safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Mkhwani take to make?
About 30 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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