Name: Matoke
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 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; Â½ tsp curry powder; 1 cup water

Matoke

Steamed and mashed green bananas cooked in a savory sauce â€” Uganda's national dish and daily staple.

Country

Uganda

Region

East Africa

Time

65 min

Serves

Level

easy

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Matooke is the soul food of the Baganda people and the undisputed national dish of Uganda. Green cooking bananas are steamed in their own leaves until soft, then mashed to a smooth golden paste. In Buganda culture, a meal without matooke is not a real meal, and a woman's cooking skills are often judged by the quality of her matooke.

What the dish tastes like

Steamed and mashed green bananas cooked in a savory sauce â€” Uganda's national dish and daily staple.

When to cook it

Best for everyday meals, with a easy cooking level and about 65 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Use the interactive recipe fallback or country hub to explore pairings.

Follow the collection route

Vegetarian Africa is the main AfroKitchen collection route tied to this dish right now. Vegetarian Africa

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 â€” keep mashing until it reaches a uniform consistency.

Matoke

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Step-by-step instructions

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