AI-generated image
Aliya
Aliya: Luo dried beef, made safely at home, then stewed with onion, tomato and greens
Luo households around Kisumu, Siaya and Homa Bay once dried strips of beef in the sun and over the cooking fire so meat from a slaughter or a big ceremony would keep for weeks, and aliya is still cooked for funerals, gatherings and nostalgic Sunday lunches. Rehydrated and stewed, the strips become dense, chewy and intensely beefy with a faint smokiness, in a thick tomato gravy with soft greens folded through; serve it with kuon (ugali) and a bowl of sour milk if you like. Sun-drying raw meat is not safe at home, so this version first heats the strips to 71 °C in the oven and then dries them slowly, or you can start from bought dried beef. The dried strips are not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system unless they are fully stewed as here. Chef's tip: simmer the strips until soft before frying, the step people skip, or the aliya stays leathery.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dried beef (or use 300 g bought dried beef)
- 1 ¾ lb lean beef topside or silversidefat trimmed, partly frozen for easy slicing
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprikafor the smoky note of fire-dried aliya
For the stew
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionschopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 4 ripe tomatoeschopped
- 9 oz kale or collard greens (sukuma wiki)stems removed, finely shredded
- 1 handful fresh coriander (dhania) (optional)chopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Slice 1 ¾ lb lean beef topside or silverside with the grain into strips about 5 mm thick and 3 cm wide. Toss them in a bowl with 1 ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1 tsp smoked paprika, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step 2: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Lay the strips on a rack set over a tray in a single layer and cook until a thermometer pushed into the thickest strip reads at least 160°F. This heats the meat safely before drying.
12 minStep 3: Turn the oven down to 167°F (or the lowest setting) and prop the door open a crack with a wooden spoon. Dry the strips for 3–4 hours, until they are dark, stiff and bend before they snap with no moist patches. Cool and store airtight in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Step 4: To cook, rinse the dried strips (about 300 g) and put them in a pot with 1 litre of water. Simmer, covered, over a medium-low heat until they are soft enough to tear with a fork.
40 minStep 5: Drain, keeping 250 ml of the liquid, and cut or tear the strips into bite-sized pieces.
Step 6: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the aliya until it sizzles and the edges darken a little.
4 minStep 8: Stir in 4 ripe tomatoes and cook until they break down and the oil separates. Pour in the reserved liquid and simmer until the gravy thickens.
8 minStep 9: Fold in 9 oz kale or collard greens (sukuma wiki) with the rest of ½ tsp salt and cook, stirring, until just wilted and bright.
4 minStep 10: Scatter over 1 handful fresh coriander (dhania) if using and serve hot with ugali.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does aliya take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
- What can I use instead of smoked paprika?
- Sweet paprika + a pinch of chipotle or a drop of liquid smoke.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese