We use whole milk, onions and a combination of Luhya traditional vegetables to take the sting off the known bitterness of miroo (mitoo) for a tasty meal.
Maybe we should start referring Luhya traditional vegetables by their scientific or common names. Then maybe, they’d get the respect they deserve. Just for a moment imagine the following scenarios involving two menus at the same restaurant. The first menu has as the main course as Crotalaria brevidens in cream, served with cornmeal mush and sautéed wild mushrooms in garlic and lye sauce. While the second menu reads: miroo (mitoo), ugali and ubwoba.
Your guess is as good as ours on which of the two menus is ‘more equal’ than the other. However, what will surprise you even more is that even among luhya traditional vegetables, miroo isn’t a universal favorite. It is known for a characheristic bitter taste that some love and for uninitiated taste buds, le’ts just say that miroo (mitoo) has some getting used to.
Growing up Luhya, this traditional vegetable is one that we appreciated as we got older. Little wonder then that miroo (mitoo) miruruu (bitter type ) is a favorite among elders. However, a cousin to miroo (mitoo) miruru scientifically known as Crotalaria ochroleuca is less bitter and thus preferred among younger consumers.
Nutrition facts table: Miroo (mitoo) / Slenderleaf
As seen in the nutrition facts table, miroo (mitoo) as a vegetable compares well to any other green leafy vegetable. However its dry content matter, miroo is higher than average making it ideal for preservation by traditional methods such as sun drying.
| Nutrient per 100 g fresh edible portion | |
|---|---|
| Water | 74.5 g |
| Protein | 8.8 g |
| Calcium | 222 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg |
| ß‐carotene | 4,907 ± 922 μg |
| Sources: 1. Consumption patterns and nutritional contribution of Crotalaria Brevidens (Mitoo) in Tarime District, Tanzania. 2. Feedipedia.org |
Simple Creamy Miroo (Mitoo) Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 1 Cup Munyu Musherekha
- 1 Big Red Onion Medium chopped.
- 1.5 Cups Whole Milk Substitute with cream if you don’t mind the calorie. Use your preffered milk substitue if vegeterian or lactose intolerant.
Luhya Traditional Vegetables Salsa For Cooking
- 4 Handfuls mitoo/miroo leaves Include flowers if present and stem if shots are tender
- 2 Handfuls kunde (cowpeas leaves) Can be substituted with seveve (pumpkin leaves)
- 1 Handful Murere/Murenda optional
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables by plucking off the leaves off the stems for the miroo and murenda.
- For the kunde, if the leaves are not young, additionally rip the leaves off their ribs. Do this only for the larger leaves. Use your discretion, do not remove all the fiber!
- Clean the vegetables to rid off soil. As you clean them, keep the vegetables separate. Remember to let as much water as possible to drip off.
- In a pot over medium heat, pour the cup of munyu musherekha and bring it to a boil.
- Add the vegetables one by one, starting with the kunde leaves and string along the way. The goal is to cook the vegetables in their own water, therefore regulate the heat so that the water doesn’t evaporate off too fast.
- Add whole milk, cream or your preferred milk substitute to your preferred ‘level of creamy’. The trick is to add bit by bit while letting it cook before the next addition.
- Once done – reduced and with slimy texture- add the chopped red onion and stir. Cover and let the onions cook through.
- Season with salt to taste. If you are fan of hot chillies, add some to your taste. I find the combination of bitter from the miroo/mitoo, sweet from the whole milk and spicy from the chillies such a bomb of taste.
- Serve with ugali and preferred protein choice.
Video
Notes
All About The Bitter Taste Of Miroo (Mitoo)
- The bitterness of this traditional Luhya vegetable delicacy is as a result of potentially toxic compounds that miroo (mitoo) naturally produces.
- Don’t you worry though for it is thought that the elaborate cooking methods used to prepare slenderleaf for food actually result in detoxification.
- Some of these toxins, a class of chemicals known as Diterpene, have beneficial properties of reducing inflammation and possessing the ability to kill bacteria.
- Thanks to these compounds leaves of miroo (mitoo) have also been used to treat yellow fever, soothe sore feet and treat mouth and throat rush.
- In this recipe, we have used milk and onions to temper the bitterness of miroo (mitoo). Moreover, we have also added other traditional vegetables – seveve, murenda and kunde – for the same reason.