Luwombo (Ugandan Steamed Meat and Vegetables)
Photo: Namuganyi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Luwombo is a Ugandan stew that is sealed inside banana leaves and steamed, so the meat and vegetables finish cooking in their own aromatic juices. The sauce is built on groundnut paste, ginger, garlic and coconut milk, with optional ground crayfish for depth. Beef or chicken sits alongside cassava, sweet potato, matooke and eggplant. Serve it with steamed rice or more matooke, and open the packets at the table.
Instructions
Toss the meat in a large bowl with the garlic, ginger, groundnut paste, groundnut powder, crayfish if using, salt and cayenne. Leave it to marinate for at least 30 minutes so the seasonings soak in.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the marinated meat and brown it on all sides.
Stir in the onions and cook until they soften and smell fragrant. Add the sweet potatoes, cassava, green bananas and eggplant.
Pour in the coconut milk and broth so everything is covered, then bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover, and steam for about 1 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
While that cooks, pass each banana leaf briefly over an open flame. This softens it so it bends without tearing.
Spoon a portion of the cooked mixture into the center of a leaf and fold the leaf around it to make a closed packet. Repeat with the remaining mixture and leaves.
Set the packets in a steamer or in a large pot fitted with a steaming rack. Steam for another 30 minutes, then serve one packet per person on individual plates, to be opened at the table.
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