Kenyan recipe

How to make Githeri

Name: Githeri
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Kenyan
Ingredients: 2 x 400 g tins red kidney beans, drained (or 200 g dried beans, soaked overnight, drained, then boiled hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes and simmered until soft; never cook dried kidney beans in a slow cooker); 400 g sweetcorn kernels, frozen or tinned and drained (traditionally dried maize, soaked and boiled for hours); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 onion, chopped; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (optional); 1 teaspoon curry powder or ground cumin (optional); A handful of fresh coriander, and salt

Gĩtheri

Central Kenya, the Kikuyu, Meru, Embu and Kamba peoples

Maize kernels and beans boiled together until soft, often fried afterwards with onions, tomatoes and sometimes potatoes, greens or a little meat.

Serves 4 40 min

Ingredients

2 x 400 g tins red kidney beans, drained (or 200 g dried beans, soaked overnight, drained, then boiled hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes and simmered until soft; never cook dried kidney beans in a slow cooker)
400 g sweetcorn kernels, frozen or tinned and drained (traditionally dried maize, soaked and boiled for hours)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (optional)
1 teaspoon curry powder or ground cumin (optional)
A handful of fresh coriander, and salt

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
Add the tomatoes and the spice and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
Add the potatoes and 250 ml water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the beans and the maize, stir and simmer for 10 minutes more, until the potatoes are cooked and most of the water has gone.
Season with salt and scatter over the coriander.

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Githeri has long been a standard school meal in Kenya.