Mogo / Mohogo (Cassava)

Mogo is another East African food that we relish. It can be eaten just boiled; like the sort we used to get in the canteen at Aga Khan Primary School, Kampala, with just some salt and red chillies, yum. It cost 10 cents, for 50 cents you could get it fried with tamarind chutney.

We (the girls) also used to sneak out to Deejays on Sunday afternoons, via the kitchen at the back, we were not supposed to eat at Deejays. But every Sunday, we would go for 'a walk' armed with 50 cents from Chacha, straight to Dejays!. When we got home Malek and Chachi used to wonder why we were not as hungary as we normally were! Ahhhhhhh those were the days.


This is a masala version - vagaralo mogo
Ingredients
1 large tuber of cassava (or frozen cassava)
1 400gm can of tomatoes; crushed
1 large onion; chopped finely
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seed
2/3 cloves of garlic; minced
2/3 green chillies; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
1 tablespn cumin/coriander mix
1 tspn tumeric powder


Method
1. cut the cassava into 3 pieces, peel by slitting the skin on one side, the skin will peel of quite easily
2. cut in large chips and boil, when tender, cut into 1 inch cubes.
3. Heat some oil in a pan, add the cumin, mustard seeds and onions.

4. Fry the onions until golden brown, add the garlic and ginger, fry for one minute, add the tomatoes, green chillies, tumeric and the cumin/coriander; fry for a few minutes. Add the cassava pieces, and 1 cup of water, leave to cook for about 20 minutes, until it is soft and gooey. Garnish with Coriander