Easy steps on how to prepare nyama ya kukaanga

Let’s make a Swahili special. My twist here is adding some pawpaw purée to the meat to tenderise it and tomato paste to give it an attractive colour.

The black pepper in ‘nyama ya kukanga’ is very authentic and goes well with plain rice, with a side of pilipili ya kukanga. 

What you’ll need: 

500g beef cut into cubes 

2 garlic cloves 

5 tablespoons raw pawpaw purée

Juice of 1 lime 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 onion sliced

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

1 teaspoon curry powder 

2 tablespoons oil 

4 tablespoons buttermilk (lala)

2 cups water 

 What to do: 

Finely chop the garlic cloves. Spread the garlic, black pepper, salt and pawpaw purée on the meat then and set aside to marinate for about an hour or two.

In a pan over medium heat, add the oil, then onions and sauté until almost golden-brown.

Add the marinated beef, then cook for about 5 minutes or until you seal the pores (when meat changes colour).

Pour in the buttermilk, curry powder and tomato paste. Mix well for about 5 minutes then add in the two cups of water and bring to a boil.

Cook for another 10 minutes or until all the liquid is evaporated, the sauce becomes very thick and coats the beef and the beef is super soft.

Finish off with some lime juice and serve on a sinia (Swahili stainless steel platter) with plain rice, some fried onions and pilipili on the side.