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Katogo
Katogo: Ugandan green matoke and beef cooked together in one pot
Katogo, a Luganda word for a mix-up, is what a Kampala family eats on a slow Sunday morning or what a boda-boda rider orders at a roadside stall at seven a.m.: peeled green matoke simmered right in a tomato and onion beef stew until the bananas turn soft and creamy and soak up the gravy. It is filling, savoury and gently starchy, like a potato stew with a faint banana sweetness. Some stalls add tripe or liver; offal is optional here. Serve it as it is, with avocado slices and a spoon of eshabwe or a little chilli on the side. Green matoke is sold at African and Caribbean grocers; green plantains are the nearest swap. Chef's tip: for the meat-free version, swap the beef for cooked red beans or a groundnut sauce and cut the cooking time in half.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb stewing beefchuck or shin, cut into 2–3 cm cubes
- 5 ½ oz beef liver (optional)in 2 cm pieces; or cleaned tripe, pre-boiled until tender
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionschopped
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 4 tomatoeschopped
- 1 green pepperdiced
- 1 tsp mild curry powder
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 8 green matokegreen cooking bananas (about 1.2 kg), or 4 green plantains
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 handful fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown 1 ⅛ lb stewing beef in two batches until well coloured on all sides. Lift out onto a plate.
8 minStep 2: Lower the heat to medium, add 2 onions to the same pot and fry until soft and golden.
7 minStep 3: Stir in 3 garlic cloves and 1 tsp mild curry powder for 30 seconds, then add 4 tomatoes and 1 green pepper and cook until the tomatoes have broken down into a thick sauce.
6 minStep 4: Return the beef and its juices with 2 ¼ cups water and half the ¾ tsp salt. Cover and simmer over a low heat until the beef is nearly tender when pierced with a knife.
45 minStep 5: While the beef cooks, rub your hands with a little oil (the sap stains) and peel 8 green matoke by cutting off both ends, slitting the skin lengthways and pushing it off with your thumb. Drop the peeled fingers into cold water so they do not darken.
Step 6: Cut the matoke into 3–4 cm chunks and add them to the pot with the rest of 1 ½ cups water and ¾ tsp salt. If using 5 ½ oz beef liver, add it now. The liquid should come about two thirds of the way up the matoke.
Step 7: Cover and simmer over a low heat, without stirring too much, until the matoke is soft and yellow and a knife slides through easily, and the liver is cooked through with no pink inside. Some matoke will break down and thicken the gravy.
20 minStep 8: Stir gently, taste for salt and sprinkle with 1 handful fresh coriander. Serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does katogo 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 gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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