By Rayowa Chukwu ( Part time photographer and Cook) Guest Post
When I first came to Texas after marrying my husband, everything feel new-new — from the weather to the food. I dey come from Lagos, Nigeria, where wey greens no dey miss for pot: ugu, waterleaf, bitterleaf, afang — all of them get their own taste and wahala. So, imagine me walking into an H-E-B store in Houston, and I see this big bundle of leaf called collard greens. I ask myself, “This one no be like fluted pumpkin? Abi na bitterleaf cousin?”
But na so now, I decide make I try am. I asked my American neighbor how she dey cook am. She talk say collard greens dey boil for long with ham hock or smoked turkey, some onions, and seasonings — and dey serve am with cornbread. My first thought? “Ah! This one na like when we cook bitterleaf soup, only say soup no dey this one.”
So, I carry the idea go my kitchen. I say make I Nigerianize am small. Now, this collard green recipe don turn my family favorite — both the Yankee side and Naija side. Let me show you how this Lagos mama put her own spin on this Southern classic.
My Nigerian-Texan Collard Greens Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6–8
Ingredients:
- 2 large bunches of collard greens
- 1 smoked turkey leg or 1 pound smoked pork hocks (you fit use goat meat too, if you wan Naija am well)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb-size ginger, grated (I no dey cook without ginger o!)
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (ata rodo), finely chopped – adjust to your pepper level
- 1 teaspoon crayfish (optional, but e dey give sweet African vibe)
- 1 tablespoon ground dry shrimp or iru (optional for that real Naija punch)
- 2 Maggi or Knorr cubes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon palm oil (yes, I go add am — small red color dey sweet me!)
- Water or chicken stock as needed
Step-by-Step Cooking Method
1. Wash the Greens Properly
Collard greens dey carry plenty sand like Lagos street during rainy season. You go need wash am well-well.
- Remove the thick stems from each leaf.
- Stack, roll, and slice the leaves into ribbons (na so the Southern women dey do am).
- Rinse the sliced greens in a big bowl of water 3 times or more until water clear. Then drain and set aside.
2. Start the Meat Broth
In one big pot:
- Add the smoked turkey leg or ham hock.
- Add half the onions, 2 cups of water (or stock), and bring to boil.
- Let it cook for 30 minutes until the meat dey fall-apart tender.
- Remove the meat, shred am, and keep aside. Keep the broth too — no throwaway o!
3. Make the Flavor Base (Naija style)
- Heat 1 tablespoon of palm oil in same pot. If you no like palm oil, just use regular oil — but I beg, try am once.
- Add remaining chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and ata rodo. Sauté for 5 minutes until aroma begin chase your neighbor.
- Add crayfish, shrimp powder or iru, Maggi cubes, and small salt. Stir everything.
4. Add the Collard Greens
- Add the greens in batches, letting each batch wilt down before you add the next.
- When all the greens don enter, pour in the meat broth, and add shredded smoked meat back.
- Add water if needed to just barely cover the greens.
5. Simmer and Wait Small
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 45–60 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes.
- Taste for salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning.
- If you like am soft-soft like Southern style, let it go longer. If you prefer small crunch like afang, cook less.
How I Serve Am
For real Southern vibe, serve collard greens with:
- Hot cornbread
- Fried chicken
- Mashed yam or even white rice (Nigerians go sabi this one!)
- Or just eat am like vegetable stew with eba — no judgment here, abeg.
This collard greens dish dey remind me say food fit be bridge between cultures. E dey carry the smokiness of the South and the spice of Naija. Sometimes, I go add egusi powder or even goat meat if I wan really carry am back home.
Life for Texas don show me say home no dey for one pot alone. With one leaf, I dey cook story — one part Southern, one part African. As we dey say, “Na who chop belleful dey tell story.”
