Matoke is rarely cooked in may Kenyan households, something I believe is a travesty. The meal which is a staple meal in Uganda and Tanzania should be an indispensable meal in may people's menus.
Why? My reasons are below:
1. It is easy to prepare
The meal mainly consists of East African Highland bananas which are stewed in vegetables like tomatoes and onions.
An easy recipe is below:
- Pour diced onions into a large sufuria and fry and stir them, until golden brown.
- Add the grated garlic and continue stirring for two more minutes.
- Add the chopped the capsicum(hoho) and mix well.
- You can now add the peeled matoke bit by bit as you stir. Continue stirring for two minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and stir for three minutes.
- Pour in the water until it slightly covers the matoke and stir.
- Add some salt and spices of your choosing.
- Cover the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil then simmer.
- Let it cook for 30 minutes or until the matoke is tender. Add the chopped coriander leaves and cover for two minutes.
- Your matoke is now ready to serve.
2. It is healthy
Matoke is made of green bananas.
- Help probiotic bacteria which are the good kind. These bacteria consume green bananas and help to achieve a healthier stomach and digestive tract.
- They are a source of vitamins like vitamin B6, Vitamin C and more.
- They are rich in potassium which helps in muscle movement, proper functioning of the nerves, and purification of blood by the kidneys.
- Causes better absorption of nutrients.
- They help in the treatment of diarrhea.
- They help treat people who suffer from Type 2 Diabetes as it contains a low amount of sugar.
- Green bananas are high in fiber content; helping in the proper functioning of the digestive tracts and bowel movement.
- They are resistant starch which can help the whole body lowering plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations.
Do you need any more incentives to start eating this meal?
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