Yes guys...Katogo. Its not a Kenyan meal but my Ugandan roots were calling for it so I made it look fancy for y'all.
What is Katogo? Well, its a Ugandan staple of green bananas and/or meat and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce in one pot. Some people prefer tripe or chicken ...each to their own.
My purpose for this meal aside from just craving it was to showcase that our traditional foods can also be fancy. This version is 'deconstructed' meaning I only cooked all ingredients separately and then assembled them on the plate. It's a meal I know goes down well with the old folks (my mum went for a second helping and that's always a good sign) So if you have your folks over or that 'chama' where all your aunties come over, this is a sure win.
For my prep I used ground peanut powder. I got it from my aunt Phyllis who is like the guru of traditional foods but if you can't get the powder you can use chunky peanut butter.
Serves 4
12 green bananas, peeled and cut in half
2 bunches of kale, washed and chopped
1 large garlic head, crushed
1 thumbs ginger, crushed
2 large onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato Paste
1 cup of groundnut powder or 250g crunchy peanut butter
1.5 litres beef stock
800 grams of Chateaubriand steak OR Fillet steak
Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
*Tip: Oil your hands before peeling your green bananas. It helps avoid that annoying sticky residue
In a pan on medium heat, add your oil, half the onions, ginger paste and garlic (leave about half a teaspoon for the veg). Sweat this out for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Next, add the tomatoes and tomato paste, sprinkle salt over the tomatoes and cover the pan. Reduce the heat and let the tomatoes soften for about 5 minutes.
Take the lid off and mix the paste. To this, and still on low heat, add your peanut powder or peanut butter and stock and mix well. Add your green bananas and turn up the heat to medium. (You can add more stock if it seems too little) Cover the pan and leave this to simmer.
In a separate pan, add oil, and onions and sweat your onions for a few minutes until they are translucent. Add the remaining garlic paste, kale and some salt to taste and mix well. Let this sautee over a low heat fro about 5 minutes (this time may very as some people like their veg well done but I like mine almost raw)
At this point you can check on your bananas. If they are fork tender, you may turn off the heat and set aside but make sure there's enough gravy so your meal isn't dry. If the gravy isn't enough, add some water or stock and warm through. Peanuts are a natural thickening agent so your gravy will still be thick.
Now for the last part, the steak. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
I cooked mine on a cast iron skillet on high heat on the gas burner for about 4 minutes on each side to sear the juices and have it medium; I let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting to serve. For those of you that like your meat 'cooked', sear or brown your steak on each side for about 3 minutes on a high heat in a pan. Transfer the meat to a suitable baking dish, cover with foil and roast it for another 15 to 20 minutes. Let it also rest before cutting.
All done.