Matoke Steamed Plantain Stew: Uganda’s Beloved National Dish

Name: Matoke Steamed Plantain Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Ugandan
Ingredients: 4 large green plantains, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1 lb (450g) beef stew meat, cut into 1½-inch cubes; 1 large yellow onion, finely diced; 3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon curry powder (optional); ½ teaspoon cayenne or red chili (adjust to taste); 2 cups (480ml) beef broth or water; 2 tablespoons neutral oil; Salt and black pepper to taste; Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Posted on June 16, 2026

Matoke steamed plantain stew cooked with tender plantains, vegetables, and savory seasonings in a rich sauce.

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⏱ Prep: 15 min 🔥Cook: 55 min 👤Serves: 4–6 🌍Origin: Uganda

Matoke steamed plantain stew is the national dish of Uganda, a deeply satisfying one-pot meal that has been the daily staple of the Baganda people of central Uganda for centuries and has since spread across East Africa as one of the region’s most beloved comfort foods. Firm green plantains peeled and simmered in a spiced broth of beef, tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger and bell pepper until they are completely tender and beginning to fall apart, absorbing every flavour from the stew as they cook. One pot. Under an hour. The kind of meal that makes a house smell like home.

Ingredients

4 large green plantains, very green and firm, not yellow, not spotted. Green plantains are starchy and hold their shape during the long simmer. Yellow plantains turn mushy and too sweet. Score the skin lengthwise before peeling, the skin of green plantains is tough and does not peel easily without scoring first. Once peeled, cut into 2-inch chunks and toss immediately with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, tossed with the peeled plantain chunks to prevent browning
1 lb (450g) beef stew meat, cut into 1½-inch cubes. Or goat, lamb or chicken thighs, all traditional. Brown the meat first for deeper flavour.
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste, adds richness and depth to the broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon curry powder, optional but traditional in many versions
½ teaspoon cayenne or red chili, adjust to heat preference
2 cups (480ml) beef broth or water
2 tablespoons neutral oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Step by step

Peel and prep the plantains. Score the skin of each plantain lengthwise in 3 places. Peel away the skin. Cut into 2-inch chunks. Toss with lemon juice and set aside.
Brown the beef. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Brown in batches, 3–4 minutes per batch until deeply coloured all over. Remove and set aside.Browning the meat before the stew builds deepens the final flavour significantly. Do not skip this step, browned meat produces a richer, more complex broth than meat added raw.
Build the base. In the same pot, add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and ginger, stir 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes until it darkens slightly. Add the chopped tomatoes, cumin, coriander, curry powder and cayenne. Cook 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down.
Simmer the stew. Return the browned beef to the pot. Pour in the broth. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Add the plantains. Add the plantain chunks to the stew. Stir gently to submerge. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30–35 minutes until the plantains are completely tender, a fork should slide through with no resistance and the beef is falling apart.The plantains absorb the spiced broth as they cook, this is the whole point. By the time they are done they taste of the stew, not just of plantain. Do not rush this stage.
Taste and serve. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and heat. The stew should be thick and rich, add a splash of broth if too thick. Scatter fresh cilantro over the top. Serve hot.

What makes matoke matoke

Matoke is both the name of the green cooking plantain and the name of this stew, the word does double duty in Uganda, the way “bread” can mean both the ingredient and the loaf. The plantain is not a background ingredient here, it is the star. It starts firm and starchy and ends silky, just slightly mashed at the edges, having absorbed every flavour from the broth around it.

The traditional preparation wraps the plantains in banana leaves and steams them over the pot, the steam trapped inside the leaves produces a slightly different texture and a faint green herbal note. If you have banana leaves, wrap 4–5 plantain chunks per leaf, secure with kitchen twine, and place the parcels on top of the stew for the final 30 minutes of cooking instead of simmering them directly in the broth. The result is worth it.

Make it ahead

Claire’s note
Matoke steamed plantain stew improves the next day, the plantains absorb more broth overnight and the spices deepen. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water or broth. For a peanut-flavored version, stir in ¼ cup of natural peanut butter in the final 5 minutes of cooking. It adds a rich, slightly nutty creaminess to the broth that is a well-loved variation across Uganda. For a vegetarian version: omit the beef entirely and use vegetable broth, the plantains and spiced tomato base are completely satisfying on their own.

Serve with

Matoke steamed plantain stew is a complete meal on its own, the plantain and beef together need nothing else. Steamed greens such as sukuma wiki (collard greens) or spinach on the side is the most common accompaniment in Uganda. Chapati, rice or ugali alongside for scooping up the broth. For everything across the African collection the complete African food guide has it all.

Add matoke steamed plantain stew to your weekly meal planner, make a large pot Sunday and it feeds the family all week. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.