Ugandan Cooking Lesson

A nice surprise was waiting for me when I got back to the apartment on Sunday evening - Jackson had called round when I was out with a big bag of matooke and onions to give me a cooking lesson.  A couple of weeks ago I'd taught him how to make apple pie and carrot cake; in return he wanted to show me how to cook Ugandan food.  We scheduled the rematch last night - Jackson cooked matooke, groundnut sauce and ginger tea and I showed him how to make banana bread.

Here are Jackson's recipes.
Boiled Matooke
Allow about 4 matooke (green plantains) per person.  Matooke will keep in the fridge for about four days; discard any that turn yellow as they are not good to eat.
1. Peel the matooke and rinse in water to remove excess starch and any juices from the skins.
2. Place in a pan with just enough water to cover, and boil vigorously for 20 minutes until bright yellow.
3. Drain and serve

Groundnut Sauce
1. Finely chop 1 tablespoon onion and a clove of garlic and fry in 2 tablespoons oil with a pinch of salt until browned. 
2. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped green pepper and fry.
3. Add 1 peeled and chopped tomato and some chilli powder to taste.  Mash until smooth.
4. Add three heaped teaspoons of groundnut paste and blend over the heat.
5. Add 1 cup water and blend until smooth
6. Add about 1/2 cup more water to thin the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes over a gentle heat.

Ginger Tea
1. Bring 1 pint full cream milk to the boil in a pan with 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon black tealeaves
2. Scrub ginger roots in water to remove any dirt
3. Pound about 2 inches of root ginger with a mallet until finely crushed and add to the boiling milk
4. Simmer for 5-10 minutes then strain into a teapot or flask
5. Serve sweetened with sugar and banana bread!

Jackson stays in Kampala during the week but his home village is near Mbarara in western Uganda.  He comes from a family of cattle farmers and has 20 cows of his own.  While Mbarara is in the heart of the Ankole region, famous for its long horned Ankole cows, Jackson told me that Ankole cows aren't very good milk producers so his herd are crossbreeds.  He supports his two younger sisters, Fiona and Janet through school from the proceeds of selling milk and meat - their father died ten years ago and thir mother left, current location unknown.