Matoke; Why you should be eating more of this simple meal

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?