Matoke

Matoke (Steamed Green Bananas with Groundnut Sauce)

Uganda's national dish: unripe green bananas slowly steamed in banana leaves until silky, then mashed and served with a rich, slightly spicy groundnut sauce. The bananas turn from pale and starchy into something soft, savoury, and faintly sweet.

Prep

25 min

Cook

60 min

Total

85 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.2 kg (2¾ lb) green (cooking) bananas, matoke; must be unripe and green, never yellow plantains
• •6 leaves banana leaves, for wrapping; substitute with large, wilted cabbage or grape leaves if unavailable
• •200 g (7 oz) raw groundnuts (peanuts), skinless; groundnut flour (100 g) can substitute — toast it first in a dry pan
• •1 medium onion, finely chopped
• •2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• •1 tbsp tomato paste
• •2 tbsp vegetable oil
• •1 tsp salt, plus more for the steaming water
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) ground turmeric or curry powder, optional, for colour and warmth

Steps

1. 1 Prepare the bananas: slice off both ends, score the skin lengthwise, and pull it away with a knife — work over water so your hands don't stain. Drop peeled bananas into a bowl of salted water to stop them darkening. Do NOT use ripe/yellow bananas; they collapse into mush.
2. 2 Toast the groundnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until deep gold and fragrant. Grind to a coarse paste in a blender or with a mortar, adding 60 ml / 4 tbsp water to help it move. Set aside.
3. 3 Rinse the banana leaves and pass them briefly over an open flame or pour boiling water over them until they soften and turn bright green — this prevents tearing when folding. Cut into pieces large enough to wrap a banana.
4. 4 Lay a banana leaf piece flat. Place a peeled banana on it, rub with a pinch of salt, and wrap tightly into a parcel, folding the ends underneath. Pack the parcels seam-side down in a heavy pot, fitting them snugly so they don't unroll.
5. 5 Pour water into the pot until it reaches halfway up the parcels (do not cover them). Cover the pot with a tight lid and steam over medium-low heat for 45–55 minutes. Top up with hot water if it boils dry. The matoke is ready when a skewer slides into a parcel with no resistance and the banana is uniformly pale yellow and creamy.
6. 6 While the matoke steams, make the sauce: heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion for 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and cook 6–8 minutes until the mixture thickens and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
7. 7 Stir the groundnut paste into the sauce along with 250 ml / 1 cup water and the turmeric (if using). Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't catch, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and tastes cooked, not raw-nutty. Season with the 1 tsp salt, taste, and adjust.
8. 8 Unwrap the matoke into a wide bowl, discarding the leaves. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash firmly in the same pot over low heat for 2–3 minutes — traditional matoke is mashed while still hot so it becomes smooth and slightly sticky. Add a small splash of the steaming water if it feels dry.
9. 9 Serve the mashed matoke in mounds with the groundnut sauce spooned over or alongside. Eat with steamed greens, beans, or beef stew.