Katogo is a favourite breakfast meal served in Uganda. It is served a home, in restaurants and on the street. Katogo is also eaten at any time of the day for lunch or dinner.
When I think about Katogo byenda, I remember my moments as a weekend student at Uganda Management Institute. Katogo was the most favourite breakfast menu. At a cost of Uganda shillings 3000 you get a plentiful serving of Katogo for your breakfast.
I must say I looked forward to my weekend classes at the institute so as to reward myself with the hot steaming Katogo at breakfast.
What is Katogo?
Katogo in Uganda means a mixture of foods. It is a favourite in all regions of Uganda. Katogo is a highly potent meal and will usually leave its consumers satisfied. Katogo is made up of staple food usually matooke, cassava, Irish potatoes, and sweet potatoes which are cooked together with a sauce usually meat, Beef tripe (byenda) beans, peas, groundnuts.
Katogo is available in most restaurants where it is often served for breakfast. With its popularity today some restaurants in Uganda have specialized in only serving a variety of Katogo recipes.
Katogo is cheap and easy to buy. Some say if you are hungry and you only have 3k, you can have Katogo.
Katogo is a good meal for healing hangovers in the morning. A plate of Katogo will surely take your headache away.
What is Byenda (Beef Tripe?)
Byenda as it called in Uganda is Beef Tripe in English. Beef tripe is the interior muscle lining of a cows’ stomach chambers. The English word used for Byenda in Uganda is Offals.
A cow’s stomach has four chambers which make the four different kinds of tripe.
The four different kinds of tripe are;
The rumen which is the first stomach chamber of the cow gives us the first tripe. It is blanket like or flat in nature. It is the least desirable of the four.
The reticulum which is the second stomach chamber of the cow gives us the second tripe. It is has a honeycomb appearance. It is a tenderer with a more palatable flavour.
The omasum is the third stomachs chamber hence the third tripe. It has a book/leaf-like appearance.
The Abomasum is the fourth stomach and is, therefore, the fourth tripe. It is reed-like in nature and varies from a strong to a mild taste.
Beef tripe in Uganda is inexpensive and is one of the best alternatives to beef.
Byenda / beef tripe has a chewy texture and a mild taste. It will usually take on the flavour of other ingredients that you will cook it with.
Nutritionalhealthy Benefits of Byenda (Beef Tripe)
Beef tripe (Byenda) is a nutritious serving.
A single serving of four-ounce of cooked beef tripe contains:
- Calories: 95
- Protein: 25 grams
- Fat: 4.5grams
- Carbohydrates: 3.5 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
Beef tripe is an excellent source of the following nutrients:
- Iron
- Vitamin B -12
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Niacin
- Chlorine
- Zinc
In Uganda, new mothers are often advised to eat byenda (beef tripe) to help rejuvenate their bodies and boost their breast milk.
Byenda like other meats is high in cholesterol and should be eaten in moderation
What is Katogo Byenda (Beef Tripe)?
Katogo Byenda is matooke cooked together with Byenda (Beef Tripe). This mixture is seasoned and served mostly for breakfast. This serving is rich and nutritious and will leave wanting some more of it.
Let’s learn how to make Katogo step by step next.
Ingredients for a serving 0f 5-6 people
1 kg of beef tripe/ Byenda / Offals
5 big tomatoes
2 kg or clusters of matooke
3 large onions
1 big green pepper
2 large carrots
2 Beef Royco cubes
1 tsp Black pepper
Salt to taste
Method
Cooking the Byenda (Beef tripe / offals)
Wash your byenda over running water 2-3 times or until they are thoroughly clean.
Transfer your byenda to a chopping board and cut them into smaller pieces.
In a medium cooking pot or saucepan, place your byenda. Fill your saucepan with water and cover with a fitting lid. Place your saucepan over your source of heat and bring the byenda to a boil.
Let your byenda cook on high heat for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium after 30 minutes and let them simmer for more than 30 minutes to make 1 hour.
After 1 hour of cooking and simmering the byenda remove the saucepan from the heat.
Preparing the Matooke
Get fresh and green matooke and peel them well. Place your matooke in a medium-sized saucepan.
Pour all the soup in your cooked byenda over the matooke. Add in 1 cup of water if the byenda soup will not be sufficient.
Place your matooke over low heat and bring it to a boil. Matooke is soft and cooks easily; high levels of heat are therefore not advisable.
The Matooke Byenda Katogo Mixture
On a chopping board cut and prepare your seasoning. Dice your onions, carrots, green pepper and tomatoes thinly.
Place the saucepan with your byenda on a different source of heat. Add onions, green pepper, and carrots to the byenda and mix.
After 2-3 minutes add your tomatoes and mix well. Place a lid over your saucepan, and wait for the tomatoes to get softer and cooked.
After 2-3 minutes add you’re beef royco cubes, black pepper, and curry powder. You can add some hot/chilli pepper which is optional. Mix well
Add your salt to taste. Too little and too much salt is bad for your health. Stick to moderate amounts of salt in your meals.
Now add the byenda mixture to your cooking matooke. Let them simmer together on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
Your katogo is now ready for serving. A slice of green avocado and vegetables will make your plate of Katogo more attractive.
A glass of juice or a cup of tea or coffee is not a bad idea. Any will do for you any day anywhere.
Are you craving some healthy juice let’s have a look at the pineapple peel juice recipe next.