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Ndizi Na Nyama

A Ugandan stew of beef, onions, tomatoes, coconut milk, and sliced plantains.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Ndizi Na Nyama

Timeten minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the meat

  1. Bring one cup of water to a boil in a pot or pan.

  2. Add the meat, salt, pepper, curry powder, and cayenne pepper.

  3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer.

  4. While the meat simmers, heat oil in a separate pan.

Make the sauce

  1. Fry the onions for a few minutes.

  2. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for several minutes.

  3. Reduce heat.

  4. Add coconut milk and bay leaf.

  5. Cover and simmer.

Finish and serve

  1. Add sliced plantains to the meat.

  2. Cook for ten minutes or until the meat is done and the plantains are tender.

  3. Combine the onion-tomato-coconut mixture with the meat and plantains. Stir.

  4. Adjust seasoning to taste.

  5. Serve with rice or ugali.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

743Calories
32 gProtein
57 gFat
30 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Coconut1/2 cup shredded (40g)283
Beef100g cooked250
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Turmeric1 tsp ground (3g)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Plantainnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Beef + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,448 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,971 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef
Provides the main protein; simmering slowly turns it tender and flavourful.
Plantains
Starchy body that softens during cooking and thickens the stew slightly.
Coconut milk
Adds richness and creaminess, softening the sharpness of the tomato and spices.
Tomatoes
Contribute acidity and moisture that build the base of the sauce.
Onions
Browning in oil builds sweetness and savoury depth for the sauce.
Tomato paste
Concentrates tomato flavour and adds colour and depth to the sauce.

The step that matters

Simmer the meat before adding the plantains. Beef needs a long, gentle simmer to become tender, while plantains soften quickly. Adding them too early can leave the beef tough or turn the plantains mushy.

Swap the coconut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pepper, onion, tomato, milk):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Mangofits better
  3. Cherryfits better
  4. Coconutthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pepper, onion, tomato, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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