Traditional Irio and Banana Dish

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry shelled maize
• 2 bunches pumpkin leaves or stinging nettle
• 5 green 'kiganda' bananas
• 3 kg potatoes
• Salt to taste

During preparation for traditional irio wash the maize and beans and soak in clean water for 4 hours or overnight.

Boil the mixture until the beans and maize are soft and well soaked.

Peel the potatoes and bananas. Clean the bananas in salted water to avoid discoloration.

Wash and chop the greens.

With just enough water to cover the maize/beans mixture, add in the potatoes, bananas and greens in that order and sprinkle a little salt onto the greens.

Cover the pot and cook until the potatoes are soft and the water dries up.

Mash the 'irio' until the mixture is uniformly done, adding salt to taste.

Serve with meat stew or raw vegetable salads.

Variations in the recipe

When making traditional irio dry maize can be substituted with green maize, then soak the beans only. Cook following the same method.

Substitute green beans, peas, pigeon peas,or lima beans, for dry beans, then soak the maize only.

Use green maize, green beans or peas and pigeon peas, cook directly without soaking following the same method. Green bananas are optional in this recipe.

To mash the food, potatoes and bananas can be substituted with cubed arrowroots, pumpkins or sweet-potatoes and the same method of cooking followed.

Banana Dish

Ingredients

• 8 green banana (Kiganda prefered)
• 1 kg irish potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1 bunch of dhania
• seasonings
• 2 tbsp cooking fat

Peel and clean bananas in salted water.

Peel and cube the potatoes.

Peel the carrots and slice into small pieces of equal size and shape.

Chop the meat and prepare the tomatoes, pepper, onion, and dhania.

Fry the onion to slightly brown, add the pepper, carrots and cook ubtil tender.

Add the tomatoes and dhania and cook briefly, stirring the mixture to avoid burning.

Add the meat, salt and mix. Cover the sauce pan and cook until the meat is done.

Add the potatoes and bananas and season to taste.Add enough water to just cover the mixture. Bring the soup to boil, and then reduce the fire to simmer.

Serve hot.

Variation

Boil the potatoes and bananas together in salted water.Drain and mash. Stew the meat with the other ingredients and serve with the mashed bananas and/or vegetable salad.

Cook the bananas with chopped arrowroots, sweet potatoes or pumpkins instead of irish potatoes.