Uganda | Pork Kikalaya

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE I USED (It is on page 5.)

To my surprise, Uganda had several recipes I was interested in and it was fairly easy to find something that I wanted to make.

Beef prices are somewhat insane here so I’ve been leaning toward pork or chicken recently and that steered me in the direction of kikalayi (chick-uh-lie-ee) which is essentially, a pork and cabbage stew. It also uses onions and garlic and other veggies but the veggies vary depending on what recipe you read. The cooking techniques also vary a little bit. I think it probably boils down to how much time you have and what veggies you have on hand.

You need a cut of pork with some fat on it but it should be less fatty than pork belly. The recipe calls for 2 pounds of pork but that was way too much for me so I used around a pound of pork shoulder steaks and halved the remaining ingredients. I used cabbage, onions, green pepper, tomatoes, garlic, and a carrot for the veggie portion of the stew. Using a pre-shredded coleslaw mix (minus the dressing) might have made things easier and taken less time but I’m not sure how much one would use. Potatoes were suggested as an optional ingredient and I had one that I needed to use up, so I added it to the stew. Salt, pepper, and a little curry powder make up the seasonings so I didn’t need to order anything special for the kikalayi.

The cooking process is time-consuming. The pork fat must be separated from the meat because it needs to be rendered down for a while, before you get to cooking the meat itself. After that, once you have added the remaining ingredients, it needs to simmer for around an hour, and most of the liquid must be cooked off. I wasn’t standing at the stove for hours but it did take a little longer than the recipe led me to believe and it wasn’t really something I could leave unattended for too long. It needs to be stirred, regularly.

In my research, the kikalyi was served in a variety of ways. It can be served on its own, as a stew, sometimes topped with sliced avocado or tomatoes or cucumbers. I also saw it served with rice or with flatbread. I opted to eat it as a stew since I used potatoes and didn’t want to add another carb to the plate but cooked up some rice, just in case.

How did it turn out?

It was really good! I enjoyed it more over rice than on its own but, either way, it was tasty. The pork was so incredibly tender, it nearly melted in my mouth. The seasonings were just right, not too bland, and not too spicy. All in all, a satisfying and tasty meal! And I will happily eat the leftovers.

Would I make it again?

Yes! I get on a cabbage kick every now and then and this is a perfect addition to my cabbage collection, which is not really a collection, I just make smothered cabbage in the crockpot and vary the things I throw in with it.