Katogo and passion juice (Kampala - September 2011)
![A dish of Matooke, Lumonde, Jjuuni, Bijanjaalo, Ebinyeebwa, Nyama y’ente and Muceere. (Plantains, sweet potatoes, yams, beans, gnut sauce, beef and rice) [via eitherlai ]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/53cb0263fde8496022cea1d63f40093c/tumblr_misk76KJAu1qlr9u6o1_500.jpg)
A dish of Matooke, Lumonde, Jjuuni, Bijanjaalo, Ebinyeebwa, Nyama y’ente and Muceere. (Plantains, sweet potatoes, yams, beans, gnut sauce, beef and rice) [via eitherlai ]
Uganda’s Love of Molokony (otherwise known as cow foot)
In Kampala, there are residents who will do things that could be regarded as a little too unusual all for the love of good food. It could be regarded as a little eccentric for a person to drive all the way from Kamwokya in the north of Kampala to the centre of the city in search of the perfect Molokony (cow’s hoof).
The most visited venue where the dish is served is The Pub on Dewinton Road, just opposite the National Theatre. The dish itself is made of long boiled hoof from a cow. Add salt and spices, plus requisite time it should spend on the fire and you have yourself a meal.
Molokony is cooked in a slow cooker. It needs a long time to be on the fire so it’s best to start the process in the morning. By 11am, it should be ready. The bestmolokony is tender and it can be detached from the bone with the slightest flick of your tongue.
Molokony has been a Kampala delicacy for a long time. But it is not just a Ugandan thing. In different parts of the world, it is known as a delight not to be ignored on a list of favourite foods. As far away from Kampala as Italy, cow’s hoof is eaten with relish.
At The Pub, you just walk through the narrow entrance and past the tall bar stools to the back of the tiny establishment. The bar tender will not stop; he is used to the traffic coming in every day with many of the clients asking formolokony.
“Molokony is our main specialty,” says Steven Tumusiime, the manager of The Pub. “Many people come in from across the city and for that reason; we have to make it the best. No wonder that many believe we do it best.”
You will not wait long after you place your order. To while the short minutes away, you can catch up on the latest in the premier football leagues in Europe showing on the flat screen TV on the wall. Then your order will arrive and everything else will be relegated to after the meal.
The soup is one strong feature of the dish. It is probably what makes so many people keep on coming back for more. It is the aroma and the taste it leaves in your mouth that reminds you of a thousand different roasts on a carnival night. The marrow inside the wide bone is usually left for last.
Different grown people will be seen sucking on a hug piece of bone, soup flowing down their hands and yet they will appear not to mind. They are among people who understand.
Soup is another reason many older Kampala residents used to enjoy the dish. It was said to have medicinal properties to cure gout. The rest of Kampala caught on and started eating molokony as a major date. There are those who enjoy it as a status symbol; just to be seen eating what all the cool kids are eating.
Conversation in the dimly-lit high-ceilinged roof is typical of Kampala’s denizens. The decibels start rising as the minute hand moves away from the hour of noon. By 1pm, the place is almost full with the conversation shifting from one subject to another as they suck at their bones.
“I think the way we cook it is our main strength,” Tumusiime says at the counter, as he receives clients. It is rush time; lunch time is here and there are many people to satisfy.
Molokony goes for 7,000 UGX at The Pub. This is decidedly dear but for a place that draws its clients from near and far, it is a fair price. In other places around Kampala, the dish can be found at prices ranging from 2,000 UGX to 5,000 UGX. If you do not go to The Pub, you can find molokony in the St Balikuddembe market area or around the different restaurants on Luwum Street.
Posho: For many people, talking about posho is synonymous with school memories, especially for those who went to boarding school. Some schools served the dish from the first day of the term until the end without a change in diet, and surprisingly, students would be strong and healthy.
A tasty meal when well-prepared and complimented with delicious sauce like beans (as pictured above), beef, chicken, vegetables, peas and many others. ( via Daily Monitor)
Ugandan Cuisine at it’s Best
Finding fast food is in Kampala is as easy as looking to the left or right side of any road. Finding a good local meal is a bit of a trick. Kembabazi, in Naguru, has always been synonymous with healthy local food.
The company started in 1985, in Wandegeya, and through the years moved to a number of locations – including the City Square where Kembabazi (then named: Kembabazi Burger Queen) was one of the pioneer burger places in the city. However, even while specialising in burgers they maintained their core service of local food.
Today, Naguru is their permanent home. Driving down Naguru Hill you can catch site of Lake Victoria in Luzira and Kembabazi, although not directly in site of this view, does benefit from the cool lake breeze. You might not need any ambience to enjoy a meal but the airy feel lent by the big gardens and large windows at Kembabazi Catering Centre doesn’t hurt. A guest can sit in the gardens or in any of the four dining cottages. As you enter, two of the small ones – Janie’s on the left and Kwezi’s on the right – are semi-private and add to the relaxed atmosphere.
Meals are served right from 7am till midnight with breakfast from7am to 11am. This is a full English breakfast with katogo and kigere or molokony (cow leg) – both known alternatives to the ‘hair of the dog’. The breakfast buffet costs 10,000 UGX. Early birds know that after 9am katogo is impossible to find in most places in town but the chef confirms that it is available all day.
Meals are mostly boiled and steamed but boiled doesn’t mean bland food in pale coloured soup. Everything looks – and tastes – good. Chef Bosco Mudedya who has been cooking for 10 years – seven of those at Kembabazi , is happy to elaborate on the menu.
He says that most of the food is steamed and boiled and thus healthier. The lunch buffet is popular with many people manoeuvring through Kampala’s lunch time traffic to make it to Naguru. The cost is 20,000 UGX and consists of kigere, kalo, katogo, steamed vegetable rice, sweet potatoes, irish parsley, steamed pumpkin, posho, matooke and chapatti.
As more people look for lighter, and less fatty, meals steamed and boiled foods are becoming more popular. The traditional Ugandan dish, Luwombo, refers to different foods steamed in banana leaves. It is easy to make, nutritious and perfect for lunch or dinner.
The Luwombo is a dish that will be found at most traditional Buganda ceremonies like a traditional wedding, (Kwajula). When it comes to Luwombo, the variations can practically limitless and frequently includes foods like chicken, meat, dried fish in groundnut sauce and anything else you would like to try. All of the ingredients are simply combined and allowed to marinate in the banana leaves as they bake.
This dish can be cooked either in a large casserole dish in a modern oven or, traditionally, in a saucepan on a charcoal stove. Either way, the magic comes from the banana leaves so their availability is the most important part of your dish.
Below is a Chicken Luwombo recipe for your gastronomical pleasure.
Chicken Luwombo
1 chicken cut up into serving pieces (The same amount can be measured as 1kg in meat, dried fish or pork)
2 large onions – chopped or diced
4 large red tomatoes – chopped or diced
8 large Irish potatoes – cut into large cubes
(any other vegetable you would like to add)
1 teaspoon chicken royco/chicken bouillon
One cup chicken stock/ water
Salt and pepper to taste
Banana leaves and string
Oil for fryingOptional: If you would like to try chicken in groundnut sauce, add three table spoons of groundnut powder or two tablespoons of peanut butter to your ingredients.
Directions:
- Brown the chicken pieces in a hot pan with little oil then set aside.
- Heat a teaspoon of oil and cook the onions and tomatoes. Add the dry ingredients and the chicken stock/water and bring to the boil. (This is the point to add the groundnuts/peanut butter if desired)
- Soak the banana leaves in hot boiling water to soften, and then cut off the mid rib. Divide the leaves to make fairly large rectangles. (It is important not to pierce the leaves in any way so as to retain the sauce in the dish)
- In each leaf, place a piece of chicken and the Irish potatoes along with three tablespoons of the boiled sauce.
- Fold the leaf upward like a pocket and tie the ends with dried banana, or oven proof, string.
- Do the same for all remaining pieces of chicken and Irish potatoes.
- Place in a large casserole dish on top of a trivet, then add water to the dish and cover before placing in a hot oven. Cook slowly for at least an hour- keep checking to make sure the casserole dish has water.
- Alternatively, if using a charcoal stove- place the pockets of banana leaves into a large saucepan lined with a large banana leaf. Tie up the banana leaf into one large pocket. In the saucepan place cut banana stems at the bottom and add water. The cut stems act as a trivet. Cover completely with another saucepan and cook slowly for one hour.
- Serve the Luwombo hot with rice, matooke or any other side of your choice.
This dish yields 6-8 servings. The boiling and steaming ensures a reduction in oils as the chicken cooks in its own fat.
Empengyere; For many generations, people in Kigezi region, mainly the Bakiga, have enjoyed this delicacy.
This corn-based (maize) meal is normally mixed with beans and at times some greens to make a treat enjoyed by many who taste it.
Recipe
Ingredients
- One needs four basic ingredients to cook the meal; water, maize corn, beans and rock salt. However in the modern way of cooking, several other ingredients like green peppers, small egg plants or even greens can be added to make the meal more tasty and interesting.
- Well sorted and cleaned corn and beans
- A sizeable pan as the cooked maize will expand to the top of the pan.
- Water and enough fuel is also needed for a long wait.
- For two kilogrammes of maize, you need at least five litres of water a sizeable pan that can accommodate such an amount of water.
- Cooking is just a matter of boiling corn with water; the process would take up to five hours before it is completely ready for eating. One must ensure that the fire boiling the maize is steady at all times.
The Process
- Put water in the pan and add corn, put on fire and start boiling.
- After one hour of boiling, add rock salt to increase the temperature of the boiling water and quicken the process. Boil for another hour and add beans to the corn. Leave to boil for another hour and then add more rock salt to the mixture.
- You would have to add water more than three times because of the expanding maize and beans. 40 minutes after adding the rock salt one can then put other ingredients of choice in the mixture. You can add vegetables like bean leaves or black night shade to give it a taste. However, it’s always better to leave it to boil without additives to ensure an original taste.
(Via Daily Monitor)
Millet is a delicacy that unites different people in Uganda.
The people from the north, east and west may be different ethnically, however when it comes to millet bread, their tables are united in the love as reverence of this delicacy.
When it comes to the dining table where millet bread is served, the Northern, Eastern and Western regions all become united as one. From time immemorial, this meal has been the main course of the day for such tribes like the Banyankore, Ateso, Japadhola just to mention but a few. It indeed has a variety of names; it called, akaro in the west, atap (ateso), kal (Acholi/luo), ahasuma or ahengo (samia), Kwon Kal (Japadhola) and ping (masai) and Obwiita (Lusoga). It is only in the central region where millet bread is rarely the meal of the day.
Read more via The Daily Monitor about how it’s prepared differently in the western, northern and eastern regions of Uganda.
VIDEO RECIPE: How to make Ugandan sambusas
Sambusa is made in many countries but the version I made is found in Uganda, East Africa. For more information about cultural aspects of Uganda you can visit Uganda cultural art network at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ugaculturalartnet
Recipe for the meat: 2 1/2 lbs of beef; 1 tsp of garlic powder, whole oregano, curry powder, and onion powder; a 1/4 tsp of ground cloves, and black pepper; dice 1 or 2 jalepino peppers, 1 tomato, 3 sticks of scallions, and 3 sticks of cellary.
Recipe for the dough: 3 and 1/2 cups of flour (chappati or white); 1 stick of butter; 1/4 cup of canola or vegetable oil; 1 and 1/2 cups of water; 1/4 tsp of salt (optional). Disclaimer**You can omit the butter to make a more health conscious dough; after doing so you may need to add a bit more oil.
Fry the sambusas in enough oil to cover them half way, on med heat. Cook until golden brown.
Ankole’s golden sauce and spice: Ghee
It may be an important part of the cuisine in Ankole, but today ghee is enjoyed in many parts of Uganda and can be bought both in local communities in Western Uganda, local markets in different parts of Uganda and off the shelves of uptown supermarkets.
The significance of ghee in pastoral communities is renowned. A sauce and spice, this by product of milk is the raw material for some popular meals in Ankole, such as eshabwe and enuniira (light white-milky sauce). However, ghee is also enjoyed with other meals such as katogo, beans, vegetables or as a replacement for cooking oil.
You can read more about the transformation process: here
