Whether you love booze or want a healthy meal, Tumbukiza is your go-to recipe. It’s not only easy to make, it’s also versatile. You can almost add anything you would like to add to the meal. Besides, the ingredients are almost always readily available for you to enjoy.
Imagine that lazy day when you don’t want to do much in the kitchen; this can make a proper get-to. This meal comes from the Kikuyu community; however, it is today spread nationwide. In Central, though, it’s more common among men who like beer and other alcoholic drinks.
What is Tumbukiza?
The word tumbukiza is a Swahili term that refers to submerging in English. In this case, we dip the meat in the stew and soup, with other ingredients like potatoes, onions, cabbage, spinach, and sometimes, a little bit of corn.
In simple terms, tumbukiza is just your braised meat that you have in a rich broth. It can make a whole meal by itself, not just a complete one. It’s a healthy choice.
How to make tumbukiza
Ingredients
- Beef
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Water
- Seasoning
- Spinach/cabbage
- Corn (optional)
- Carrots
- Spring onions
- Ginger
- Garlic cloves
Method
Clean the meat
Clean your meat and then cut it into larger chunks. Note we don’t want to cut it into tiny pieces regarding this option.
Add spices and start the cooking process.
Next, set them in the large pot and add your favorite spice, like the beef cubes or curries. Allow it to cook for a bit before you add water. Usually, I would let it cook for ten minutes to absorb the spices and content before adding water.
I like to add corn or the African maize. If you are adding the store-bought corn, you can add it when adding veggies below. If you are using our African maize, you should add it when you add water. Our maize takes a little longer to cook, so cut it into smaller pieces first.
Make sure it’s tender, so you need to let it cook for 35 minutes before adding more ingredients.
Prep the veggies
Meanwhile, clean the vegetables like green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and carrots to chop them. Don’t cut the spinach or cabbage. You will need to cook them as they are.
Peel potatoes, but don’t slice and cube them. Also, rough chop the onions, mince the ginger and garlic and prepare them for the next steps. But remember, whatever vegetable you are using, you won’t need to cut them since you just keep them whole.
Add the vegetables to the pot with the meat cooking
Add all the vegetables you chose except the spinach or cabbage, as that will come at the last step. Remember, potatoes don’t take long, so you want to add them in when cooking it for 10-15 minutes more. Cover it and let it cook.
Add spinach
Add the spinach and your capsicum to cook when you have five minutes before it’s fully ready. So let it simmer, but find out if the potatoes are almost prepared because even the meat is fully cooked.
Add the spring onions/dhania for the richer flavor
Check that the potatoes are ready; add the chopped spring onions if they are ready. This will enhance the flavor.
It’s all ready.
Voila,
There you have your rich meal, and not only is it a one-pot meal, but you will not need to do so much cooking as everything is cooked in the stew.
This is a whole meal; in most cases, we just eat it as it is, but if you like, you can have your ugali or rice on the side.
Note
- Tumbukiza is one of the special diet options for dinner or lunch. The best part is that this is a whole meal, and you may not need to add anything.
- It is the best during those cold days as the broth will keep you warm. It’s no wonder it first came from the central part of Kenya. Those who love to drink alcohol, though, are more familiar with this meal.
- It’s one of the most leisurely meals to prepare since you don’t take much time.
- You can also use any kind of meat(goat, mutton, chicken). They all work just fine.
- Note that you can also use green bananas if you don’t have potatoes.