Githeri: Black Beans and Maize

This New Year came with transitions and surprises but that is a story for another post! One of the greatest things was bringing home with us over 5 kilos of beautiful black beans from my grandmother!  We have cooked the beans in every way possible. First it was katogo until we ran out of bananas. We then proceeded to black bean stew which we had mostly with chapati because #kikomando. Soon we grew tired of them and then black bean patties took over (find a similar recipe here) which were amazing. I realized these beans are so rich in protein it is probably not recommended to eat them every single day.

On the other hand, school is resuming and we had to make snacks (think hard corns) for our cousin because #bigsisterduties,well, school is  resuming. We had to boil dried maize and then sun-dry it so we can fry it as hard corns. This githeri idea came about during those times of boiling hard corn and thinking of what to cook next with the black beans. This is not a new recipe because I know and have friends who eat githeri. It is just AKIU’s twist on the dish. It is an alternative way of eating beans and posho and I would like to think that in some way it is katogo of some sort. One thing though, it is packed with flavor.

 

What you will need:

Black beans, boiled and drained about 2 cups

Maize kernels, boiled and drained about 2 cups

2 Large tomatoes, chopped

1 Large onion, diced

1 Large green pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped

Ground coriander

1 C. Water

Royco chicken flavour

Curry powder

Black pepper

Salt

Observations:

1. Any type of dried beans work for this recipe
2. Unlike the traditional githeri, I decided to mix the maize and beans while frying.
3. Make sure the maize in well pre-boiled and is very soft.
4. You can season your githeri anyway you want

Method

1. On high heat, place clean pan and add oil. Add the garlic and onions and stir till an aroma is released.
2. Add the tomatoes and cover pan. Wait for the tomatoes to become soft and tender.
3. Add the boiled maize and the beans. Stir till distributed evenly.
4. Add the remaining ingredients except the water. Stir occasionally till they dry out. Add the water and stir.
5. Let the githeri simmer on low fire till all the water is gone.
6. Remove from fire and serve.

 

This dish is great alongside this avocado salsa.

Let us know. Have you ever made githeri or eaten it?

🙂

Sophie