Ingredients
Base
- 1.5 kgfloury potatoes, peeled and quartered
- salt
Additions
- 300 gcooked green maize kernels
- 300 gcooked green beans or njahi, black beans
- 500 gpumpkin leaves, or nightshade greens
To finish
- 2 tbspbutter or oil
- 1onion, chopped, optional
- salt and black pepper
To serve
- nyama choma, grilled meat
- beef stew
- cabbage
Directions
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until completely soft, about 20 minutes. Cook the potatoes past the point of merely tender. They are going to be pounded, and firm potatoes fight the pestle.
- Cook each element separately, because maize, beans, greens and potatoes all take different times and one pot always leaves something wrong.
- Strip the pumpkin leaves from their stems and pull the stringy fibres off the stalks. Blanch the greens in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain them and squeeze out the water.
- Squeeze them properly dry. Wet greens make a sloppy mukimo, and it should be stiff enough to shape. Chop the blanched greens finely.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the dry pan for a minute to steam off. Do it while everything is hot, because a cooled mash will not come together.
- Work the greens in first and keep pounding until the colour runs evenly through the whole mass. Keep going until it is properly green.
- Leave the maize and beans in recognisable pieces. The texture of whole kernels against smooth potato is the point of the dish. Beat in the butter and season generously with salt and black pepper. Serve hot with grilled or stewed meat and a stew to spoon over.
Technique
- Njahi, black beans, are the traditional pulse and are prized in Kikuyu cooking.
- Green maize, fresh rather than dried, gives a much sweeter result.
- It reheats well and is often fried into cakes the next day.
Substitutions
- Spinach or any dark leafy green in place of pumpkin leaves.
- Tinned sweetcorn and any cooked bean.
Variations
- Irio, the closely related and usually smoother version.
- With peas instead of beans.
- Fried into patties from leftovers.
History
A Kikuyu celebration dish from central Kenya, pounded in a wooden mortar and served at weddings and dowry ceremonies.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mukimo?
Mukimo is a main from Kenya: potatoes mashed with maize, beans and pumpkin leaves until green. A Kikuyu celebration dish from central Kenya, pounded in a wooden mortar and served at weddings and dowry ceremonies.
How long does Mukimo take to make?
Mukimo takes 25 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Mukimo?
Yes, within limits. Spinach or any dark leafy green in place of pumpkin leaves. Tinned sweetcorn and any cooked bean.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mukimo?
Boil the potatoes in salted water until completely soft, about 20 minutes. Cook the potatoes past the point of merely tender. They are going to be pounded, and firm potatoes fight the pestle.
