Matoke (Matoke) — Tanzanian Green Banana and Beef Stew

• 600 gboneless beef chuck (Trim visible excess fat and cut into 3 cm cubes.)
• 10green cooking bananas (Use firm, starchy ndizi or East African highland cooking bananas, approximately 100 g each after peeling, totaling 1 kg peeled.)
• 2 tbspsunflower oil
• 1large onion (Approximately 150 g peeled; finely chopped.)
• 3medium tomatoes (Approximately 300 g total; finely chopped.)
• 3 clovegarlic (Finely crushed.)
• 1 inchfresh ginger (Approximately 15 g; peeled and finely grated.)
• 7.5 gfine salt
• 0.5 tspground black pepper
• 1000 mlwater (For the stew.)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat the beef dry and prepare the onion, tomatoes, garlic, and ginger. Leave the cooking bananas unpeeled until the beef is nearly tender so their cut surfaces do not darken.

2. 2

   Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy, 5-liter pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef in two batches and brown for approximately 4 minutes per batch, transferring each batch to a plate.

3. 3

   Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion to the same pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.

4. 4

   Add the tomatoes, salt, and black pepper and cook for 6 minutes, stirring and pressing the tomatoes until they begin to collapse. Return the beef and its collected juices to the pot, then pour in the 1000 ml water and scrape the bottom to release the browned juices.

5. 5

   Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cover tightly. Cook for 60–75 minutes, until a fork enters the beef with only slight resistance; keep the pot covered to limit evaporation.

6. 6

   When the beef is nearly tender, trim the ends of the green bananas and make shallow lengthwise cuts through the skins without cutting deeply into the flesh. Lift away the skins with the knife tip and your fingers, then cut the peeled bananas into 4 cm lengths and add them immediately to the stew.

7. 7

   Gently fold the bananas into the broth, bring back to a simmer, and cover the pot. Cook over low heat for 20–25 minutes, until the bananas are tender throughout and the beef yields easily to a fork; turn the banana pieces once halfway through rather than stirring repeatedly.

8. 8

   Uncover and check the consistency: the broth should be thickened by the bananas but still spoonable. If it remains thin, simmer uncovered for 3–5 minutes, then remove from the heat and rest for 5 minutes before dividing among six bowls and serving with kachumbari.