Mujje Tulye from Uganda/Cooking methods in Uganda

Most of the Ugandan cuisines are not time-consuming, therefore preparing for them and enjoying cooking them is a joyful experience.

Preparing sauce, while preserving the food's (rice) warmth underground; extreme right. This type of cooking is very common in rural areas of Uganda, especially on traditional ceremonies and gatherings such as funeral rites, vigil, weddings, involving large numbers of people. It is also occasionally practiced in some urban areas, although it is being phased out

Frying pans and modern cooking stoves in a kitchen

Food in cooking process on charcoal stoves in Uganda

Charcoal stove

Firewood for sale

Traditional cooking material

The most prominent utensils that you might need for cooking your Ugandan cuisine are perhaps, a skillet or a hot outdoor as well as in indoor grill to grill your Ugandan meat dishes, a non-stick saucepan, a large Dutch oven or even a similar cooking pot would be useful. Make sure that you use the right amount of desired ingredients especially spices and salts in while preparing your Ugandan cuisine. Most of the dishes in the Ugandan cuisine require steaming, so pressure pots and steamers are very handy. Moist heat cooking methods use water or oil as a medium. Heat is applied to the medium to cook the food. In dry cooking methods, the food is cooked by applying heat e.g. baking, grilling, and roasting. If you intend to serve your Ugandan meal in the true Ugandan traditional manner, then wooden bowls are a great choice. As a last note, make sure that you use fresh fruits and fresh vegetables while cooking and preparing your Ugandan cuisine as it adds the true authentic flavour to your meals.

Special Equipment for Ugandan Cooking
There is no need of buying special equipment for a Ugandan cuisine. Nevertheless, a hot outdoor and if need be hot in door grills are needed to grill your scrumptious Ugandan meat and a few vegetable dishes as well. It is always useful to have non-sticky pots and pans in your kitchen for most of the cuisines, and even for the Ugandan cuisine as they are hassle free. Some recipes in the Ugandan cuisine require large saucepans too. Ovens are needed for baking and other purposes as well. It would be beneficial if you used a large Dutch oven or even a similar cooking pot would prove to be quite handy. These days wooden stirrers are widely available, and they make the best utensils for stirring rather than the stain-less steel ones, so grab hold of some wooden stirrers if you do not have them (wooden stirrers (mulawo) rather than the metal ones are always preferred in most cuisines as they do not allow any residue to stick onto the stirrer). Sharp knives and metal skewers are practical when you would require to thread meat and even some vegetables. Other than that, no other special equipment is needed to make your delicious Ugandan cuisine.

Steaming

Most popular dishes in Uganda are prepared by steaming them. This can be done using banana leaves and banana stems. The cut stems are placed in a pan and water is poured over them just to cover them and banana leaves are then placed. One then places whatever ingredient is meant to be steamed in the banana leaves and covers with banana leaves. Steamed dishes include;

• matooke
• luwombo (this can be beef, chicken, ground nut sauce, leafy greens)
• cassava
• sweet potatoes
• rice (This is done by placing rice in a cooking box which is then place in the banana leaves)
• posho (Ugali)

Okusandika emere : Local food preparation steaming matooke

Wrapped Chicken luwombo

Matooke wrapped in banana leaves with fibres

Food preparation: Matooke

Boiling

Simmering greens

Boiling is a popular cooking method in Uganda were water is added to food and cooked over the fire. This is done mainly with vegetables and grains.Boiled dishes include;

• Beans
• Rice
• sweet potatoes
• cassava
• matooke
• peas
• potatoes

Stewing

With this cooking method, every food is cooked together at the same time in one pot. The food is cooked with water, different kind of vegetables, meat fish or chicken. The ingredients are placed in at different times as the sauce cooks and finally the sauce is thickened and served.
Stewed dishes include:

• Beef
• Goat's meat
• Fish
• Mutton

Frying

Cassava frying

Frying is an adopted cooking method in Uganda. This includes shallow frying and deep frying.

For shallow frying food is cooked in a pan with a little amount of oil. Rolex is one of the popular street foods cooked by shallow frying.

• chapatti
• rolex (African Rolex snack is an Ugandan street food with a chapati, onions, peppers and egg)
• omelet
• collard greens

Fried fish

Deep frying is when a lot of oil is used in cooking the food. The oil is put in a deep pan and is heated before the food is put into oil.

Foods cooked by deep frying:

• chips
• chicken
• sausages
• fish

Grilling and Roasting

Locally made Barbecue (Roasting cow's meat using Babana stems)

Food is cooked over hot charcoal on an open fire. The food is placed on top of the burning charcoal. Sometimes people improvise by using wire mesh and place it over the open fire to grill fish or vegetables.