This meal takes a basic idea from the British Isles, namely mashed potatoes served with cooked greens, and gives it an African and Asian twist. Even people who aren’t keen on greens might like them if they are served piping hot and with a spicy peanut sauce! To balance the color and textures, it’s nice to serve carrot sticks with this meal. Fresh fruit is good for dessert.
Mashed Potatoes
Peel and dice about 5 medium potatoes, or as many as you think you’ll eat. Make plenty, you can save the leftovers for the following day. Boil the potatoes until they are tender, then drain and mash. You can use a little bit of the potato cooking water to dilute the peanut sauce.
Collards with Peanut Sauce
2 small onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
1/8 t ground cloves
1 pound of collard greens or kale, carefully rinsed and shredded
3 T chunky peanut butter
1 T molasses
Stir-fry the onions in the bottom of a dry soup pot until well browned. Add a little bit of water every so often if they start to stick. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Stir in the spices with about a cup of water. Add the greens and let the water come to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce the heat, to let the greens steam until they are tender. Then combine the peanut butter and molasses with a bit of the water from the potatoes. Stir it into the greens, then serve along with the mashed potatoes.