Matoke is a dish of mashed plantains and is popular in Kenya and Uganda – the difference lies in the fact that the Kenyans don’t use groundnuts thus creating a slightly lighter dish. It is a delicious accompaniment to any of the traditional dishes and can easily be incorporated into American or even European menu. It’s important to ensure that the plantains are cooked and quite soft so that you don’t find any hard pieces in your mouth. The dish can quite easily adapted to suit any menu but take care not to overdo it so that the taste of the plantain isn’t overpowered completely. Plantains can be found in most supermarkets today.

Ingrdients

• 8 – 10  plantains
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 green pepperoni (bell pepper)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 chilli, pepper
• Sea salt to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 500 ml fresh, home made beef stock
• Olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying

Method

• Peel the plantains*, cut them into cubes and sprinkle them with lemon juice, set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and then fry the onions, the tomatoes, the pepperoni, the chilli and the garlic until the onion is soft and translucent and the tomatoes have broken down – then add the spices to taste.
• Pour in the meat stock and then add the plantains, covering them and simmering until they are tender.
• Just before you mash them, add the fresh coriander and the  butter and mash – serve hot.
• * An easy way to peel the plantains for matoke is first to cut off the tip and then slit the peel the length of the fruit.