🥙 LUNCH
Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce)
Tangy malakwang leaves simmered until tender then folded into a smooth groundnut sauce, sweet, sour and nutty at once.
Ugandan · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 35 min
~300 cal · 15g protein · 15g carbs · 23g fat · 7g fiber · 5g sugars · 5g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Malakwang is a beloved dish of the Acholi and Langi of northern Uganda, named for the tangy, sorrel-like leaf at its heart. The sour greens are boiled until tender, then stirred into a smooth paste of pounded groundnuts, called odii, so the finished sauce balances sourness with nutty richness.
It is classically eaten with sweet potatoes, or bread across Uganda, the sweetness of the starch playing against the tartness of the leaf. Simple and deeply satisfying, it is home cooking at its most comforting.
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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
- 400 g malakwang or sorrel leaves, chopped
- 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 3 cups water
- to taste salt
Instructions
- 1Boil the greens in a little salted water for about 15 minutes until fully tender, then drain, keeping the cooking water.
- 2In a clean pot, whisk the peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter) into a few cups of the warm cooking water until smooth.✎ Chef’s noteLoosen the nut paste with warm water off the boil so it blends smooth instead of seizing into lumps.
- 3Return the drained greens and the tomato to the pot and stir into the sauce.
- 4Simmer gently 8 to 10 minutes until thick and creamy, season with salt, and serve with sweet potatoes or cassava.
Acholi home cooking, northern Uganda.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kampala. Kampala runs on the Rolex, a chapati rolled around a fried egg and shredded cabbage, sold from street griddles all day. Matoke, steamed green bananas mashed to a soft gold, is the staple meal, usually under groundnut sauce, beans, or slow-braised meat.
🗺️
Uganda. Matoke is steamed rather than boiled, peeled green bananas wrapped in their own leaves and set over water until they collapse into something between a mash and a pudding, then eaten with groundnut sauce. Luwombo is the ceremonial version of the same technique, meat or chicken steamed in a tied banana-leaf parcel so nothing escapes.
🌍
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 Uganda
Ugandan RolexA fresh chapati rolled around a vegetable omelette, Kampala’s street breakfast, "rolled eggs" said fast.
Matoke with Groundnut SauceSteamed green bananas (matoke) mashed soft, served with a rich purple groundnut sauce.
LuwomboChicken or beef stewed in a rich groundnut sauce, steamed inside a banana leaf, a royal Ganda dish for celebrations.
Browse all Uganda recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Whisk.
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 Uganda meal
BusheraDrink
KabalagalaDessert
Matoke with Groundnut SauceDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce)?
Tangy malakwang leaves simmered until tender then folded into a smooth groundnut sauce, sweet, sour and nutty at once.
Where does Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce) come from?
Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce) is a Ugandan dish from Kampala, Uganda.
Can Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce) 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 still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), 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 Malakwang (Sour Greens in Groundnut Sauce) take to make?
About 45 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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