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Malewa
Smoked bamboo shoots in peanut sauce
Malewa: Bugisu smoked bamboo shoots stewed in a groundnut sauce
On the slopes of Mount Elgon, the Bagisu harvest young bamboo shoots, smoke and dry them, and keep them for months; a pot of malewa is the dish every Mugisu living away from home misses, and it is a must at imbalu circumcision celebrations. Soaked and simmered in a pale, creamy groundnut sauce, the shoots stay slightly chewy and taste smoky, earthy and faintly sweet. Serve with steamed matoke, kalo or posho. Dried smoked malewa is sold in East African grocers and Ugandan shops abroad; if you cannot find it, tinned bamboo shoots with a little smoked paprika give a fair imitation. Chef's tip: do not rush the soak and first boil, as under-soaked shoots stay woody however long they sit in the sauce.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz dried smoked bamboo shootsfrom East African grocers; or 2 × 225 g tins bamboo shoots, drained, plus 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 5 ½ oz ground roasted peanutsfinely ground, or 120 g smooth unsweetened peanut butter
- 2 ½ cups waterfor the sauce
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 tomatoeschopped
- 1 tsp salt
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rinse 5 ½ oz dried smoked bamboo shoots, cover with plenty of cold water and soak for at least 6 hours or overnight, until the pieces bend instead of snapping. If using tinned shoots, simply drain and rinse them and skip to step 4.
Step 2: Drain the shoots, cover with fresh water and boil over a medium-high heat until a knife slides in with only slight resistance.
30 minStep 3: Drain again and pull or slice any large pieces into thin strips about 5 cm long.
Step 4: Whisk 5 ½ oz ground roasted peanuts into 1 ¼ cups water in a pot until there are no lumps, then add the rest of 1 ¼ cups water. It will look like thin milk.
Step 5: Bring the groundnut mixture to a gentle simmer over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, as it catches easily on the bottom. Simmer until it thickens and a film of oil starts to show on the top.
15 minStep 7: Stir in the bamboo shoots (and the smoked paprika if using tinned shoots) and simmer gently, partly covered, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and the shoots taste smoky all through. Loosen with a splash of water if it gets too thick.
20 minStep 8: Taste for salt and serve hot with matoke or kalo.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does malewa take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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