Matooke

Ingredients

Matooke

• 10–12green East African Highland bananas (about 2 kg)
• 8–10banana leaves, wilted over a flame
• Banana stalks or a wire rack, to line the pot
• 1 tspsalt (optional)
• Oil or water, for the hands

Groundnut sauce (binyebwa)

• 250 gsmooth groundnut paste, unsweetened
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 600 mlwater
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspoil (optional)
• Handful of fresh dodo or spinach leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Rub your hands with oil before peeling – the green bananas bleed a sap that stains skin black and is very hard to wash off.
2. Score each banana lengthways through the skin, prise the peel away with the thumb and drop the peeled fingers into water while you work.
3. Wilt the banana leaves over a flame until they turn glossy and pliable, then line a heavy pot with a lattice of stalks or a rack in the base and lay leaves over the top, letting them overhang the rim.
4. Pile the peeled bananas onto the leaves, fold the overhanging leaves tightly over them and cover with two more leaves, then a tight lid.
5. Add water to the base of the pot below the rack – about 4 cm – and steam over low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, topping up so it never boils dry. The steam must not reach the fruit directly.
6. For the sauce, simmer the onion and tomato in 200 ml water for 8 minutes, then whisk the groundnut paste with the remaining water until smooth and stir it in. Cook uncovered over low heat 25–30 minutes, stirring often, until the oil rises to the surface and the sauce is thick and glossy. Add greens for the last 3 minutes.
7. When the bananas are pale yellow and completely soft, open the pot, mash them right there inside the leaves with a wooden spoon, then re-wrap them tightly.
8. Return the parcel to the pot and steam a further 20–30 minutes. This second steaming deepens the colour to a rich gold and gives matooke its characteristic soft, smooth, faintly smoky texture. Serve the parcel opened at the table with the groundnut sauce poured over.

Technique

• The second steaming after mashing is what makes matooke matooke. Mashing and serving straight away gives pale, bland mush; the extra time in the leaves turns it yellow and sweet.
• The leaves are the cooking vessel and the flavouring at once. Cooking the bananas in plain water instead gives a watery, grey result that no Ugandan would accept.
• Matooke bananas are a specific starchy cooking cultivar, never eaten raw and never sweet. Dessert bananas cannot substitute – they collapse into sugary paste.

Substitutions

• Green cooking plantain is the closest widely available substitute; it is firmer and less sweet, and needs about 20 minutes less steaming.
• If banana leaves are impossible to find, line the pot with baking parchment and add a rack, accepting that the smoky-green aroma will be missing.

Variations

• Katogo, matooke cooked in one pot together with beans or groundnut sauce, eaten at breakfast.
• Matooke steamed with a handful of coffee leaves or lemon leaves in the parcel for extra fragrance.

History

East African Highland bananas, steamed in their own leaves, are the Buganda staple; Uganda eats more banana per person than any other country.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matooke?

Matooke is a main from Uganda: green bananas steamed in leaves and mashed, served with groundnut sauce. East African Highland bananas, steamed in their own leaves, are the Buganda staple; Uganda eats more banana per person than any other country.

How long does Matooke take to make?

Matooke takes 30 min of preparation and 2 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Matooke?

Yes, within limits. Green cooking plantain is the closest widely available substitute; it is firmer and less sweet, and needs about 20 minutes less steaming. If banana leaves are impossible to find, line the pot with baking parchment and add a rack, accepting that the smoky-green aroma will be missing.

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

Add water to the base of the pot below the rack – about 4 cm – and steam over low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, topping up so it never boils dry. The steam must not reach the fruit directly.