bitter leaves

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Bitter leaf is a popular vegetable in West Africa. The leaves as the name implies are very bitter, so some of the bitterness is extracted before use. After extracting the bitterness, the leaves add a little bitter but delicious flavor to the soup. Bitter leaf also has many health benefits, the juice can be used to treat and prevent some health conditions. Washing the leaves can be tedious, so I will show you tricks on how to get it done in no time.

• Pluck the leaves from the stems or de-vein the leaves by stripping them from the stems. Stripping the leaves from the stems reduces the bitterness because it is generally believed that the stems and veins are the most bitter parts of the leaves.
• The first method of removing the bitterness from the leaves is the most common way to wash the leaves. Pour the plucked leaves into a large bowl, scrub or rub the leaves between your palms. This action breaks down the leaves. A quicker way to do this is to rub the leaves against a grater, pound or blend the leaves. Once the leaves are broken down into smaller pieces, pour in some water and continue to scrub the leaves. The color of the water will turn dark green and produce a white foamy substance, that is the bitterness being extracted. Decant the water, scrub the leaves again, add water and decant until the water is colorless or has a lighter shade of green and no longer foamy. That tells you that the leaves are less or no longer bitter. You can taste the leaves and decide if you like it. Some people prefer a slight bitter taste while others remove all the bitter taste.
• The second method, do not strip the leaves from the stems. Pluck the leaves and pour them into a large bowl. Add enough salt (you can be generous with the salt) The more salt, the better. Pour in hot boiling water, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the leaves from the hot salty water and transfer them into cold water. This process blanches the leaves and removes the bitterness. Most people use this method when they want the leaves to be stringy after washing. The hot water wilts the leaves and prevents the leaves from breaking down which gives them that signature look.  The hot water and salt also remove the bitterness from the leaves. These leaves are usually used in cooking bitterleaf soup. Scrub the leaves in a large bowl of cold water, decant the water after a few minutes of scrubbing the leaves. Repeat a few times and taste the leaves each time until you are satisfied with the level of bitterness.
• The third method is the same as the second method, instead of salt, you can use baking soda.
• You can use the leaves to cook any soup once you are done or you can refrigerate them for a week or freeze them for months.

Ingredients

Bitter leaf

Salt

Baking soda

Hot water