Red Amaranth Stew

The beginning of the week found me at the market in the wee hours of the morning. If you don’t already know, I love going to the market. It inspires most of the vegetable recipes here. I told my self this week’s recipe will be entirely based on something I found at the market. And luckily I found these red amaranth, called bbuga in Luganda. They just looked so gloriously fresh I had to just get them. Now these vegetables are tricky to prepare because they have a raw earthy smell and a taste that is sometimes repulsive. I went on the socials and asked  you asked how you would prepare them. I got a number of responses which I will be trying out since I plan on making the vegetables a staple in my diet. First off is this hearty stew that I think you will love. It is thickened with groundnut paste, flavored with ginger  and cooked in palm oil. 

What you will need:

4 handfuls of red amaranth

1 cup diced carrots

1 Tbsp. Groundnut paste

1 green paper, diced

1 large tomato, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 Garlic clove, crushed

1Tsp. Ginger, grated

1Tbsp. Palm oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place pan on high heat. Add oil and let it melt. Add garlic and onions and let them cook till translusent. Add the tomatoes and let them cook till soft and tender. Next add the amaranth. Stir well. Toss in the carrots, green pepper, salt and pepper and cover pan. In a bowl, dissolve the groundnut paste till runny. Add the paste in the cooking stew while stirring. Add water or stock (if you have some available). Cover pan and let the stew boil for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the fire and let the stew simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the water has reduced to half. 

Remove from fire. Serve hot with desired carbs.

Have you ever tried cooking this kind of amaranth?