If you grew up with Sunday matooke, you already know the smell: green bananas steaming slow until they turn soft and golden. Learning how to cook matooke the Ugandan way in the UAE is easier than it looks — you need the right green bananas, a little patience, and a good groundnut sauce to go with it. Here is exactly how we make it at home in Dubai.

What Is Matooke?

Matooke (also spelled matoke) is a starchy green cooking banana that is a daily staple across central and western Uganda. It is not a dessert banana — these bananas are picked green and firm, then peeled, steamed and mashed into a soft, savoury mash. Traditionally it is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for hours, which gives it that signature pale-yellow colour and gentle, comforting flavour.

For Ugandans in the UAE, a plate of matooke is the taste of home. We stock fresh Ugandan green cooking bananas (matooke), selected specifically for traditional cooking and delivered across Dubai and the Emirates.

What You Need

For matooke to serve four people, gather:

• About 1–1.5 kg fresh matooke (green cooking bananas)
• Banana leaves if you have them (foil works as a stand-in)
• A little salt
• A heavy pot with a tight lid, plus a steaming rack or a bed of banana stalks

Matooke is almost always served with a sauce. The classic pairing is a rich, nutty groundnut sauce made from Ugandan groundnut paste (ebinyebwa). You can also serve it with beef stew, beans, or a little dried mukene silver fish for a deeper East African flavour.

How to Cook Matooke the Ugandan Way

The traditional method steams the bananas inside their own leaves. Here is the home version, step by step.

1. Peel the bananas

Rub a little oil on your hands so the sap does not stain them. Trim both ends, score the skin lengthways, and peel away the tough green skin. Drop the peeled bananas into a bowl of cold water as you go to keep them from darkening.

2. Wrap and layer

Line your pot with washed banana leaves (or foil). Pile the peeled bananas in the centre, sprinkle lightly with salt, and fold the leaves over to enclose them. Add a cup or two of water to the bottom of the pot — the bananas should steam, not boil, so keep them above the water line on a rack or a bed of banana stalks.

3. Steam low and slow

Cover tightly and steam on low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, topping up the water if it runs low. The matooke is ready when it is very soft and has turned a pale yellow.

4. Mash and finish

Mash the bananas right inside the leaves while still hot, then re-cover and steam for another 10–15 minutes so the flavour deepens and the colour sets. This second steam is the step that separates good matooke from great matooke.

Make the Groundnut Sauce

While the matooke steams, loosen a few generous spoons of groundnut paste with warm water until smooth. Simmer gently with chopped onion, tomato and a pinch of salt until it thickens into a glossy, nutty sauce. Some cooks stir in a handful of mukene silver fish or a little beef for a heartier meal. Spoon it generously over the mashed matooke and serve hot.

Tips From Our Kitchen

Choose bananas that are firm and deep green — soft or yellowing ones will be too sweet for a proper savoury mash. Keep the heat low; rushing matooke on high heat makes it watery instead of fluffy. And do not skip the banana-leaf wrap if you can find it — it is what gives authentic matooke its colour and aroma.

Ready to make it at home? Browse the full Ugandan food collection for matooke, groundnut paste, dried beans and everything else your Ugandan kitchen in the UAE needs, delivered to your door.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy matooke in Dubai?

You can buy fresh matooke online from Mekazon. We source authentic Ugandan green cooking bananas and deliver them across Dubai and the wider UAE — shop the Uganda collection.

What do you eat matooke with?

Matooke is most often served with groundnut (peanut) sauce, beef or goat stew, beans, or dried silver fish. The nutty groundnut sauce is the most classic Ugandan pairing.

How long does matooke take to cook?

Steamed the traditional way, matooke takes about 1 to 1.5 hours on low heat, plus a short second steam after mashing to deepen the flavour and set the colour.

Matooke is one of those dishes that tastes like Sunday at home — and now you can make it wherever you are in the Emirates. For more on this beloved staple, see the background on the cooking banana and Ugandan daily life and food customs.