Name: Matoke
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Uganda, East Africa
Ingredients: 8 whole green bananas, peeled; 2 whole banana leaves, for wrapping; 2 whole onions, chopped; 3 whole tomatoes, chopped; 2 whole bell peppers, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp curry powder; 1 cup water

What to know before you cook

The bananas should steam until fully soft before mashing. That is how matoke becomes smooth instead of chunky.

What the dish tastes like

Ugandan matoke, steamed green cooking bananas mashed into tomato, onion, garlic, and pepper sauce.

When to cook it

Best for everyday meals, with a easy cooking level and about 80 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Groundnut sauce, beans, beef stew, chicken luwombo, greens, or avocado

Follow the collection

Vegetarian Africa is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. Vegetarian Africa

Regional lane

Uganda national table. A verified Uganda dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Prepare Bananas

Peel green bananas and place in a pot lined with banana leaves. The sap can stain, so oil your hands before peeling.

Rub cooking oil on your hands before peeling to prevent the sticky sap from staining.

Make Sauce

Heat oil in a pan. Saute onions until soft, add garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, and curry powder. Cook until tomatoes break down into a sauce.

Cook sauce 10:00

Combine and Steam

Pour the sauce over the bananas. Add water. Wrap banana leaves over the top to seal. Cover pot with a tight lid and steam over low heat.

The banana leaves create a steam chamber that gives matooke its distinctive flavor.

Steam 45:00

Mash

Once bananas are completely soft, mash them in the pot using a wooden spoon, mixing with the sauce until smooth and golden.

Serve

Mound the matooke on a platter, still in its banana leaf. Serve with groundnut sauce, beans, or meat stew.

Matooke should be smooth and lump-free — keep mashing until it reaches a uniform consistency.

Matoke

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Matoke

Step-by-step method

Matoke

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Matoke

Step-by-step method

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