How to Cook Matoke (Plantains) the Ugandan Way

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By Gerrie Grimsley
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Matoke served for lunch at a Women's Retreat in Lugazi, Uganda

Matoke is a staple in Uganda and served with every meal in almost every home. It looks like a green banana and grows in bunches on a tree. However, unlike bananas, matoke is fairly hard before it is cooked and is not sweet at all. In the United States, we know matoke by the name of plantains!

If you were to visit one of the villages in this beautiful country, you would be invited to have a meal in someone's home or hut. Ugandans do not have much, but your gracious host would insist on serving you a meal. No matter how meger,or elaborate, you would be given the very best they had, and your meal would certainly include matoke.

There are many wonderful ways to fix matoke/plantains, and many of these recipes will tantalize the appetite and tickle the taste buds. However, this article will show you the way matoke is fixed each day in its native land of Uganda.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Matoke/plantain fruit
Leaves and stalks from the matoke plant
Pot
Water
Cooking fire

Step 1

Matoke, or plantain, is the green fruit on the left

MATOKE ~ UGANDAN STYLE

Matoke is taken to the "cooking hut," where it is first peeled, and then wrapped carefully in the plants own leaves.
Step 2

A small amount of water is placed in a cooking pot, followed by stalks which have been removed from the matoke leaves.
Step 3

The pot is then placed on a direct fire (usually charcoal) and the matoke is steamed for a couple of hours before carefully being removed.
Step 4

The matoke is then mashed while still wrapped in the leaves and often served on a fresh leaf.
Step 5

Once the meal has been prepared and eaten, clean up takes place immediately. The dish washing station is outdoors, and water is boiled for washing and rinsing.

Tips & Warnings

Matoke is a medium sized green fruit that looks like a banana. However, Matoke is firmer than bananas and has less sugar content.
Cooking turns the matoke/plantains from it's original color and texture of white and fairly hard, to a soft texture and yellow color.
Each village home has a "cooking hut" where their food is cooked.
When cooking for a large group, Ugandans use a pit that has been dug in the ground of the cooking hut.
Matoke is most often served with a sauce made of vegetables, groundnuts (what we call, "peanuts"), or some type of meat.