Muduya is a bean stew delicacy that's treasured among the Maragoli sub-tribe of the Luhya of Western Kenya. It packs a punch in flavor, yet no spices are involved in its preparation. Muduya is best served with ugali and a side helping of fresh vegetables or vegetable salad.
1-3litersWaterUse most to boil the beans and hold some to be used during cooking.
1PinchSaltOr to taste.
Instructions
Cook the split decorticated beans by bringing them to a boil.
Add the salt, munyu musherekha and stir continuously until it becomes a thick paste
'Stewing' of 'frying' the muduya (optional)
Fry tomatoes and onions till soft in cooking oil of your choice. Add garlic, ginger or any other spices of your choice.
Add the muduya and bring to a boil stirring along the way to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Video
Notes
Quick facts about omunyu musherekha
Munyu musherekha is an acquired taste. Too much gives food a bitter alkaline taste.
Too much is a function of both the quantities added, and the strength of the lye. To guesstimate the strength of lye, dip a finger in the solution and taste.
A strong alkaline taste denotes strong munyu musherekha.
The ash is commonly of the dry maize cob, sun-dried peels of the plantain or sun-dried bean stalks and pods. It is colloquially thought that the strength of lye increases down that scale.
How to prepare split, de-corticated beans for cooking muduya
Dry beans of whichever variety, are slightly wet with water.
Then in a dry pan, roasted over a fire, being tossed periodically to avoid burning- much in the manner of how groundnuts are roasted.
The bean's testa is stripped of the bean by shearing action using the two-stone method that was traditionally used to grind seeds. You can achieve the same effect by rolling the beans under a rolling pin.
Store purchased decorticated beans may need to be tossed on a pan to lightly roast them so as to tease out the flavor.
The 'more clean' the beans, the better suited they are for making muduya, the traditional luhya delicacy.