Matoke is a starchy banana/plantain from Uganda and Tanzania. These matoke crisps were everywhere in the supermarkets and reminded me of our West African unripe plantain chips. This dish is bright, fresh, cheerful and beautiful to look at. It is one of the easiest things to throw together, with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and pantry. Having these individual portions means you can prevent double dipping, but if that’s not a concern, you can also make this in a big bowl for sharing, and then have different kinds of chips around it for people to choose from. The masala spice is really exciting here, and gives the familiar avocado a whole new dimension.

 

Ingredients

6 ripe avocados

3 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

½ onion finely chopped

3 tablespoons of fresh basil or fresh coriander, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

A squeeze of lime

1 pack matoke crisps (use unripe plantain chips if you can’t find matoke crisps)

1 teaspoon masala spice

 

Method

1. Place all the ingredients except the matoke crisps in a bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon or a potato masher until squishy and fragrant. 
2. If serving in individual portions, place about a tablespoon of the salsa in a shot glass or presentation spoon, and wedge a matoke crisp into the salsa. Otherwise this makes a great dish for sharing at parties and you serve the salsa in a big bowl, like a dip, with the crisps on the side. 

 

 

This recipe is from Season 1 Episode 2 of Minjiba Entertains, commissioned by The Africa Channel and showing on RealTime DSTV Channel 155, Emirates in-Flight Entertainment, Amazon Prime, and Demand Africa.