Community recipe
Malawian-Inspired Peanut Pumpkin Pot with Sorghum
A cozy, plant-based centerpiece inspired by Malawi, where tender pumpkin and cowpeas simmer in a savory peanut sauce and are served over nutty sorghum. A short covered simmer concentrates the sauce while keeping the vegetables intact, and lemony greens add a fresh finish.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
Get ready
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 15 g fresh gingers, finely grated
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 500 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3 cm cubes
- 400 g canned cowpeas, drained and rinsed
- 400 g crushed tomatos
- 500 ml vegetable broths
- 80 g smooth peanut butters
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 200 g pearled sorghum, rinsed
- 600 ml waters
- 200 g kales, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, juiced
Make it
Instructions
- 01
Build the aromatic base
Warm a heavy lidded pot over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp sunflower oil and swirl to coat. Add 1 yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves, and 15 g fresh ginger, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- 02
Simmer the pumpkin and cowpeas
Add 500 g pumpkin and 400 g canned cowpeas to the pot. Pour in 400 g crushed tomatoes and 500 ml vegetable broth. Whisk 80 g smooth peanut butter with a ladleful of the hot liquid in a bowl until smooth, then return that mixture to the pot. Season with 1 tsp fine salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the pumpkin is tender and the sauce is thick but spoonable.
- 03
Cook the sorghum
While the pot simmers, rinse 200 g pearled sorghum under cool water. Combine it with 600 ml water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the grains are tender. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.
- 04
Wilt the greens and brighten the pot
Stir 200 g kale into the finished pot in two additions, allowing the first handful to wilt before adding the rest. Squeeze in 1 lemon. Taste and adjust the seasoning only if needed, then keep the pot covered over low heat for 2 minutes so the greens become tender while the sauce stays hot.
- 05
Serve
Spoon the fluffy sorghum into four bowls and ladle the hot pumpkin-and-cowpea pot over or alongside it. Serve immediately, while the grains are warm and the sauce is glossy.
