Nkhwani ndi Nyemba

Name: Nkhwani ndi Nyemba
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malawi
Ingredients: 400g pumpkin leaves, cleaned and chopped; 1 cup dried cowpeas (nyemba), soaked overnight; 1 onion, chopped; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 2 tbsp ground peanut flour; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 cup water; Salt to taste

4 servings15 min prep40 min cookEasy Malawi

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Nkhwani ndi Nyemba

Story updated September 17, 2026

Nkhwani ndi nyemba, pumpkin leaves stewed with beans, reflects the everyday rural Malawian diet built around leafy greens and legumes grown alongside maize, the country's staple crop. Dishes like this remain central to home cooking across Malawi's farming communities.

Ingredients

Scale:· 4 servings

400g pumpkin leaves, cleaned and chopped
1 cup dried cowpeas (nyemba), soaked overnight
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp ground peanut flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
Salt to taste

Instructions

1Cook the soaked cowpeas in fresh water until tender, about 25-30 minutes, then drain.
2Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the onion until soft.
3Add the tomatoes and cook until broken down into a sauce.
4Stir in the cooked cowpeas and the chopped pumpkin leaves.
5Add the water and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the leaves are tender.
6Stir in the ground peanut flour to thicken and enrich the stew.
7Season with salt and simmer a few more minutes before serving with nsima.

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