Rwanda

This is going to be another short post, because it's a simple recipe (although delicious and filling!)

August 2nd was the holiday of Umuganura in Rwanda, a holiday dedicated to thanksgiving and sharing the bounty of the first harvest. It has been known as Rwanda's de facto National Day before the period of colonization.

To celebrate, I made katogo, a dish of bananas stewed in tomato sauce.

It starts like 80% of the savory dishes I make--with sauteed onion.

Then comes tomato. You can either make a sauce with fresh tomatoes cooked down or simply use a couple tablespoons of tomato paste. I chose the latter option because I tomato paste any and every time I make it to Aldi, because it's so inexpensive, and I have a small stockpile that needs to be used...

I then added just enough water to be able to cook it down a bit more to mellow out the acidic tomato flavor without burning it.

Then come the "bananas." In Rwanda, traditionally you would use matooke, which are small, starchy bananas native to the region. Not the sweet bananas that lend themselves more to breakfast and dessert. In their stead, I used ripe plantains. Just enough starch and a balance of sweet and savory.

Then comes enough water to almost cover them. At this point, it comes to a boil and the heat is lowered so it simmers in the sauce until it's thickened and the plantains are softened just enough.

Like many other dishes, I served this with a side of rice. However, it would be excellent with ugali or fufu.

Recipes Used: Matooke Katogo