How to prepare leafy vegetables without loosing the nutrients

Vegetables are abundant in lots of nutrients and have a role as an indispensable part of a properly balanced nutritious diet. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2005) recommended a minimum of 400g of fruits and vegetables per day. In Nigerian cuisine, there are quite a number  of vegetables indigenous to us, particularly the leafy vegetables; African Spinach (efo tete), Lagos Spinach (shokoyokoto), Afang/Okazi leaves, Eggplant leaves, Malabar spinach (amunututu), African blue basil (efirin) and so on. These leafy vegetables are naturally fortified with vitamins, minerals and fiber but low calories. They are rich in iron, dietary fiber, pro vitamin A-carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin D, folate, magnesium, with notable levels of vitamin K and high protein per calorie - all which convert to various health benefits .

This post was inspired by my graduating year project back in school, which focused on ideal vs. non-ideal pre-cooking methods and how they affect nutritional compositions of the food material (of which green leafy vegetables was part of). It was also born out of my zeal for optimal food consumption and utilisation as part of household food security. What happens when you buy your vegetables from the market? Let me guess, you sort it, cut, steam or blanch, (to blanch means to immerse/ scald vegetables briefly in hot water). Most people even indulge in the market vendor's cutting services - cut them from the market then blanch, wash, rewash, rinse again and again (and see the rich green water run off into the sink and down the drainage). This method/sequence reduces the nutrients in the vegetables to a large extent (especially the vitamin C which is the most liable to loss due to their nature) then the most preserved nutrient is the dietary fiber, not too good right??. That is why I'm going to enlighten you on how to guard your leafy vegetables with all jealousy!, particularly the ones that needs to be blanched e.g African Spinach (efo tete). I skillfully showed this with pictures to guide you through the processes. Now Let's GO!!!

How to do it!

Step 1.

Sort and pluck the leaves. You may pluck out some soft stem with the leaves depending on your preference. Boil water for step 3.

Step 2.

Wash the sorted leaves in clean water for about 3-4 times and drain out from water using a collander/sieve.

(In the case of vegetables that you think might not need blanching, skip steps 3, 4 & 5. Blanching is indispensable if you want to freeze the vegetable though!)

Step 3.

In a bowl, place the washed leaves and add the boiled water onto it, stiring to ensure that all the leaves are immersed in hot water. Let this sit for 1-2 minutes only and not more. This is called blanching

Step 4.

Drain out the the leaves from the hot water.

Step 5.

 Refresh with cold water and drain again and allowing the vegetable to cool for like 7-10 minutes.

Step 6.

 Take the whole blanched vegetable, a fist-full at a time on a chopping board and cut into small slices. This way, your vegetable is ready for use in soups, stews, etc. You can also store the blanched vegetables in the freezer as it stays longer this way.

Why do we blanch vegetables?

• To cleanse its surfaces off dirt and harmful organisms.
• To brighten the colour (you like this, right?).
• Reduce to a significant amount the  loss of vitamins.
• Stop enzyme actions which cause off-flavour and quick spoilage.

These preparation steps have been developed by DexaDiet to help you prepare your leafy vegetables and helping you keep your nutrients intact.
Here are the key points in summary;

• you sort,
• wash well before blanching, 
• blanch,
• then cut. 

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