Maharagwe
Kenyan red kidney beans simmered in coconut milk with tomato and curry powder, mellow and filling, served with rice or ugali.
Photo : Mmaua1 · CC BY 4.0
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions for 8 minutes, until golden at the edges.
- Add the garlic and ginger, then the curry powder and paprika, stirring for 1 minute to wake the spices.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and reduce over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens and darkens.
- Add the drained beans and the water, then mash a large spoonful of beans against the pan to thicken the sauce naturally.
- Pour in the coconut milk, season, and simmer uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Taste: the sauce should coat a spoon and be faintly sweet from the coconut. Loosen with hot water if it has gone too thick.
- Scatter with coriander and serve with rice, chapati or ugali.
Maharagwe is cooked all along the Kenyan coast, where coconut milk is an everyday ingredient. Salt only after the coconut milk goes in, or the sauce tastes over-seasoned as it reduces.
