What Is Mchicha? The Tanzanian Amaranth Greens Explained
Mchicha is Tanzanian amaranth or leafy greens cooked down with tomato and onion, often in coconut milk or groundnut. Here is what it is and how it is made.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Mchicha is the Swahili word for leafy greens, most often amaranth and similar greens such as spinach, cooked down into a soft, savoury everyday vegetable dish. In Tanzania it is very often cooked with tomato and onion, and along the coast it is simmered in coconut milk, when it is called mchicha wa nazi, or enriched with groundnut paste. It is a staple green, served alongside ugali or rice as part of a simple, wholesome meal. In the UK the amaranth leaves and the rest of the ingredients to make it are sold by African food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Mchicha is the Swahili name for amaranth or leafy greens cooked down as an everyday vegetable.
- It is usually cooked with tomato and onion, and on the coast simmered in coconut milk as mchicha wa nazi.
- Groundnut paste is another popular way to enrich it.
- It is a staple green, served with ugali or rice.
- It is different from sukuma wiki, which is collard greens or kale, and from kisamvu, which is cassava leaves.
A pot of greens softening with onion and tomato is one of the most ordinary and most reassuring sights in a Tanzanian kitchen. Mchicha is the dish that fills out an everyday plate, the green that turns a mound of ugali into a proper meal, cooked so often that its smell is simply the smell of dinner being made. It asks for little and gives a lot, and that is exactly why people love it.
There is real comfort in food this humble. A bundle of amaranth leaves, a spoon of coconut or groundnut, and a little patience become something you look forward to eating. For Tanzanians in Britain, cooking mchicha is a way of keeping an everyday habit alive, and of setting on the table the kind of quiet, homely food that tastes of where you are from.
What Mchicha Actually Is
Mchicha is the Swahili term for leafy greens, and in Tanzania it usually means amaranth, though similar greens such as spinach are used in the same way. The leaves are washed, chopped and cooked down until soft, becoming a savoury vegetable dish that is eaten almost daily. At its simplest it is greens stewed with onion and tomato, seasoned lightly, and cooked until tender and full of flavour.
Along the Swahili coast mchicha takes on the region's love of coconut. Simmered in coconut milk it becomes mchicha wa nazi, richer and rounder in taste, while inland and elsewhere it is sometimes enriched with groundnut paste for a nuttier, fuller dish. Whichever way it is cooked, mchicha is an unfussy staple that belongs to the wider table of Tanzanian food, the green that quietly rounds out so many meals.
How Mchicha Differs From Sukuma Wiki and Kisamvu
Tanzania has several beloved greens, and it helps to tell them apart. Mchicha is amaranth or soft leafy greens like spinach. Sukuma wiki is a different plant altogether, collard greens or kale, with firmer leaves that hold their shape when cooked. Both are everyday vegetables, but the leaf and the texture are not the same.
Then there is kisamvu, which is cassava leaves, pounded and cooked down slowly, very often in coconut milk. Kisamvu comes from the cassava plant rather than from a leafy vegetable grown for its greens, and it has a deeper, heartier character. So while mchicha, sukuma wiki and kisamvu can all appear as the green on a plate, each is its own dish made from its own leaf.
How Mchicha Is Made and Served
Making mchicha begins with fresh greens, usually amaranth, washed well and chopped. Onion and tomato are softened in a little oil, the greens are added and stirred until they wilt down, and the whole thing is seasoned and cooked until tender. For the coastal version, coconut milk is poured in and simmered so the greens turn creamy and rich, and for a nuttier dish a spoon of groundnut paste is stirred through instead. It is a quick, forgiving dish that suits a home kitchen.
Mchicha is almost always eaten as part of a meal rather than on its own, most often with ugali or rice, sometimes alongside beans, fish or meat. If it is made with coconut milk it will contain coconut, and if groundnut paste is used it will contain peanuts, so it is worth mentioning to anyone with a coconut or nut allergy; the plain tomato and onion version avoids both. Simple to cook and easy to adapt, mchicha is the kind of everyday green that quietly makes a plate complete.
Where to Buy Mchicha Ingredients in the UK
Mchicha is a home dish, and the ingredients are easy to gather in Britain from African food shops. The key is the greens themselves, amaranth leaves, often sold fresh in bunches, with spinach a good stand in when amaranth is out of season, along with onion and tomato for the base. Shops serving East African customers also stock the tins of coconut milk and the groundnut paste used for the richer versions. You can find African food stores near you to see what is nearby.
Frequently asked questions
What is mchicha?
Mchicha is the Swahili word for leafy greens, most often amaranth and similar greens such as spinach, cooked down into a soft, savoury everyday vegetable dish. In Tanzania it is usually cooked with tomato and onion, and on the coast it is simmered in coconut milk, when it is called mchicha wa nazi, or enriched with groundnut paste. It is a staple green, served with ugali or rice.
What does mchicha taste like?
Mchicha is soft and savoury, with the gentle, earthy flavour of cooked amaranth leaves lifted by onion and tomato. When it is made with coconut milk as mchicha wa nazi it turns creamy and rich, and when groundnut paste is added it becomes nuttier and fuller. The plain version is lighter and fresher, tasting simply of well cooked greens.
What is the difference between mchicha, sukuma wiki and kisamvu?
Mchicha is amaranth or soft leafy greens such as spinach. Sukuma wiki is a different plant, collard greens or kale, with firmer leaves. Kisamvu is cassava leaves, pounded and cooked down, very often in coconut milk. All three are everyday Tanzanian greens, but each is made from a different leaf and has its own texture and flavour.
How is mchicha made?
Fresh greens, usually amaranth, are washed and chopped, then cooked with softened onion and tomato until tender and seasoned to taste. For the coastal version coconut milk is added and simmered so the greens turn creamy, and for a nuttier dish groundnut paste is stirred through instead. It is served as part of a meal, most often with ugali or rice.
Where can I buy mchicha ingredients in the UK?
Mchicha is made at home, so African food shops are the place to buy the ingredients: fresh amaranth leaves, or spinach as a stand in, along with onion and tomato for the base. Shops serving East African customers also stock coconut milk and groundnut paste for the richer versions. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.