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1
Drain and Rinse the Soaked Maize and Beans
5 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Drain the soaking water from the maize and beans and rinse them both well under running water. The soaking water is thrown away — it carries the compounds that make beans hard to digest. Put the maize and beans together in a large heavy pot.
Soaking the maize and beans in separate bowls matters: beans soak faster than maize, and keeping them apart lets you check each one is fully plumped before cooking.
Done when: Both the maize and the beans look plump and swollen, with no hard, shrunken kernels left.
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2
Boil the Maize and Beans Together
90 Mins
Gentle boil, about 100°C (212°F)
Pour in 1.5 L of fresh water, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down to a steady, gentle boil and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Cook for about 90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes and topping up with a little boiling water if the level drops below the maize. The two ingredients cook side by side in the same pot — that is the whole point of githeri.
Keep the boil gentle, not rolling hard: a furious boil breaks the beans apart, and githeri is judged by keeping every bean and kernel whole.
Done when: A maize kernel is plump and tender when bitten, and a bean is soft all the way through but still holding its shape.
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3
Add the Potatoes
30 Mins
Simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Stir in the diced potato and keep the pot at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes, until the potato is tender. The potato thickens the broth slightly and makes the pot more filling.
Add the potato only after the maize and beans are nearly tender — potato added too early falls apart and clouds the broth.
Done when: A piece of potato yields easily when pressed with a fork, and the broth has thickened just a little.
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4
Fry the Onion and Tomato Base
15 Mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
While the potato cooks, heat the oil in a separate pan over medium heat. Fry the onion for about 8 minutes until soft and golden, then add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 7 minutes more, stirring, until they break down into a soft, saucy base.
Frying the onion and tomato separately, instead of boiling them raw in the pot, is what gives githeri its flavour — the base should be sweet and saucy, not raw and sharp.
Done when: The onion is soft and golden and the tomato has melted into a thick, fragrant sauce.
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5
Combine, Season and Rest
15 Mins
Low simmer, about 90°C (195°F)
Stir the fried onion and tomato base into the pot and add the salt. Simmer gently for 15 minutes so the flavours meet and the broth takes on the colour of the tomato. Taste and adjust the salt, then take the pot off the heat and rest it for 10 minutes before serving.
Salt goes in at the end, not at the start: salt added early can toughen the bean skins and slow the cooking.
Done when: The broth is lightly thickened and tomato-tinted, and every maize kernel and bean is whole, tender and distinct in the bowl.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the pot off the heat for 10 minutes so the broth settles and the flavours come together. Serve hot in deep bowls, with the maize kernels and beans still whole and distinct — scatter a little chopped spring onion over the top if you like, and eat it with chapati for scooping.
Kenya
1h 15m
