One Pot Dishes

by Njambi Karanja
(Githunguri)

Making a main dish in a single pot is common in African homes with only one fire to do the cooking on.

A one pot dish should contain all the nutrients needed in one meal.A dish made with potatoes, meat, tomatoes and onions cooked together is an example of such a meal. Some dishes that are poor in nutrients should be eaten with green vegetables.

These dishes should be based on any staple foods. For instance, dishes based on potatoes or green bananas are best combined with animal protein foods. Those based on cereals such as maize or wheat will be complete when combined with nuts, vegetables or meat.

Stewed Bananas
Serve two
Ingredients
1 large tomato, chopped
2 tbsp traditional salt
1 green pepper
1 clove garlic
1 onion
150 g minced meat
1 tbsp margarine
10 green bananas

Method
Peel the bananas and soak in salted water
Fry the minced meat and chopped onion, garlic and green pepper on a low heat.
Wash and chop the spinach
Wash the bananas and add to the meat mixture. cover the pan.
After about 20 minutes, add the spinach, salt and tomato.cook for a further 5 minutes.

Firinda(Sweet potatoes and beans)
Ingredients
1 cup beans
2 sweet potatoes
1 onion
2 tomatoes
2 tbsp fat
11/2 tbsp traditional salt
1 cup coconut milk

Method
Soak the beans for 12 hours. Remove their skins and boil until soft.
Wash, peel and slice the sweet potatoes into pieces about 1 cm thick. Boil until tender.
Strain the water from the beans and put it aside. Mash the beans or pass them through a sieve.
Finely chop the onion and tomatoes. Melt the fat, add the onions and fry until they start browning. Add the tomatoes and salt.
Mix the water strained from the beans with mashed beans and add this to the frying onions and tomatoes. Leave to simmer for 3 minutes, add the coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes.
Drain the water from the potatoes and pour the bean sauce over them.Serve hot

Matumbo Mash
Serve 3
Ingredients
250 g matumbo (offals)
8 medium potatoes
8 green bananas (matoke)
1 onion
1 tbsp
1 tsp curry powder (royko)
Traditional salt to taste
Parsley or tomato to garnish

Method
Wash the matumbo and cut into small pieces. Pressure - cook for 15 minutes or until soft.
Peel the potatoes and bananas and chop the onion. Fry the onion until light brown.
Add curry powder, matumbo, potatoes and bananas and enough water to cover. Cook until the potatoes and bananas are soft.
Mash the mixture to a smooth consistency. Serve hot, garnished with parsley or tomato