Home » Nyevhe Recipe (Spider Flower Leaves)

Nyevhe Recipe (Spider Flower Leaves)

Written by Published on in HowTos, Traditional, Vegetarian
4 Servings ~ 40 minutes
  • 60g Nyevhe (Spider flower leaves)
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 t/2 tsp salt
  • Water

Nyevhe (Spider flower leaves), also known as Ulude in one of our official languages here in Zimbabwe is a dried leafy green vegetable, communally known as mufushwa. It was/is usually dried in a season where there are available in high yield so that when they are no longer in season, families would still be able to access it. Nyevhe is high in iron and is said to actually contain more iron than spinach. This is one of the health benefits that this vegetable is associated with.

Resources/Equipment You Will Need

  • Saucepan
  • Chopping board
  • Sharp knife
  • Wooden spoon
  • Teaspoon
  • Tablespoon
  • Sieve/ colander

Quick Instructions

  1. Have your ingredients ready.
  2. Put cold water in the saucepan and add the Nyevhe (60g). Let this soak for about 30 minutes.
  3. After 30 minutes, drain the vegetables using a sieve or colander. Throw the water away and put fresh water. Add salt to this water and bring it to the boil. Add the Nyevhe.
  4. Close your saucepan and let this boil for 30 minutes.
  5. Drain the vegetables and put the remaining water in a cup.
  6. Using the same saucepan, heat oil in pan. Add onions (1/2 small onion) and cook them for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes (2 medium) and cook them through for a further 3 minutes.
  7. Take the Nyevhe and some of the remaining liquid which you placed in the cup. Add this to the tomato and onion mixture. Let this simmer for 5 minutes. Serve your Nyevhe with sadza/ isitshwala (pap). Enjoy!
Also see  How to make Chimukuyu (Biltong) at home

 

 

Pictorial Detailed Instructions

Step-1
Have your ingredients ready.

 

Step-2
Put cold water in the saucepan and add the Nyevhe. Let this soak for about 30 minutes.

 

Step-3
After 30 minutes, drain the vegetables using a sieve or colander. Throw the water away and put fresh water. Add salt to this water , return pot to stove top and bring it to the boil. Add the Nyevhe.

 

Step-4
Close your saucepan and let this boil for 30 minutes.

 

Step-5
Drain the vegetables and put the remaining water in a cup. You will later make use of it in step 7 below.

 

Step-6
Using the same saucepan, heat oil in pan. Add onions and cook them for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook them through for a further 3 minutes.

 

Step-7
Take the Nyevhe and some of the remaining liquid which you placed in the cup. Add this to the tomato and onion mixture. Let this simmer for 5 minutes. Serve your Nyevhe with sadza/ isitshwala (pap). Enjoy!

 

Healthy eating!
Healthy eating for sure (no Pizza today)!

Of all the mufushwa, nyevhe is the one that takes the shortest time to cook in my experience. Here  I garnished it with nestarium flower (which by the way is edible, least you’re wondering 😀 ). Go on and try it. It may have a gritty feel to it when you are chewing but this is common with vegetables that have been dried. I’m yet to hear of a way you can get rid of the gritty feeling without actually losing the nutrients (which would definitely defeat the whole purpose of eating this in the first place!) So if you have any hints and tips on how to deal with this, do leave them in the comments box below. Thanks 🙂 !!