Katogo

Ingredients

Matooke

• 8green cooking bananas, or matooke

Beans

• 400 gcooked red kidney beans, or 200 g dried, soaked and boiled

Alternative meat version

• 500 gbeef offal, or beef, cut small

Base

• 3 tbspoil
• 2onions, chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbspcurry powder
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 1stock cube
• salt

Optional

• 2 tbspgroundnut paste, for a richer version
• 1green pepper, chopped

To serve

• tea
• avocado slices

Directions

1. Rub oil on your hands before peeling, or wear gloves. Cut the ends off each banana and score the skin lengthways. Cut the peeled bananas into thick chunks.
2. Drop them into a bowl of cold water as you go. The water stops them browning while you finish the rest. Warm the oil in a wide heavy pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook them for eight minutes until soft.
3. Add the garlic and cook it for another minute. Stir in the curry powder and black pepper. Cook the spices for one minute so they lose their raw edge. Add the chopped tomatoes and the green pepper if using.
4. Cook them down for six minutes into a thick base. Now the meat version, if that is what you are making. Rinse the offal well and cut it into small pieces. Add it to the base with a cup of water and the stock cube. Cover and simmer it for thirty minutes until tender. Check it and add water if the pot runs dry. Add the cooked beans to the base with some of their liquid.
5. Stir them through and simmer for five minutes. If using dried beans, they must be fully cooked before this point. Boil soaked kidney beans hard for ten minutes before simmering them. Drain the banana chunks and add them to the pot.
6. Add enough water to come halfway up the bananas. Do not cover them completely, since they should braise rather than boil. Season with salt and stir everything together. Bring it to a simmer and put the lid on. Cook it for twenty-five minutes over a low heat.
7. Stir it gently every ten minutes so nothing catches. The bananas will soften and take on the colour of the sauce. Take the lid off for the last five minutes if it is too wet. Loosen the groundnut paste with some hot liquid from the pot. Stir it in smoothly and simmer for five minutes more. Taste it and adjust the salt at the end. Serve it hot in bowls, straight from the pot.

Technique

• Oil your hands before peeling matooke, since the sap stains permanently.
• Add water only halfway up the bananas so they braise rather than boil.
• Boil soaked kidney beans hard for ten minutes before simmering, for the lectins.

Substitutions

• Green plantains in place of matooke.
• Tinned kidney beans, which are already fully cooked.

Variations

• Katogo with offal, which is the classic breakfast version.
• With groundnut sauce, for a richer pot.
• With smoked fish instead of meat.

History

Green banana boiled together with beans, offal or groundnut sauce in one pot, the classic Ugandan breakfast.

Frequently asked questions

What is Katogo?

Katogo is a breakfast from Uganda: one-pot matooke with beans, offal or beef, morning favorite. Green banana boiled together with beans, offal or groundnut sauce in one pot, the classic Ugandan breakfast.

How long does Katogo take to make?

Katogo takes 20 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Katogo?

Yes, within limits. Green plantains in place of matooke. Tinned kidney beans, which are already fully cooked.

What is the most important thing to get right in Katogo?

Stir them through and simmer for five minutes. If using dried beans, they must be fully cooked before this point. Boil soaked kidney beans hard for ten minutes before simmering them. Drain the banana chunks and add them to the pot.