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Mseto
Mseto: Swahili coast rice and green grams cooked together in coconut milk
Mseto, meaning 'mixture', is a staple of the Swahili coast from Mombasa to Lamu and Zanzibar, often eaten at lunch or for breaking the fast in Ramadan. Rice and green grams (whole mung beans) cook together in coconut milk with onion and a little turmeric until soft, fluffy and gently creamy. It is served beside a vegetable or bean curry, a kachumbari salad and a squeeze of lime. The usual mistake is adding the rice before the green grams are tender, so the rice turns mushy while the beans stay hard. Chef's tip: once the rice is in, cover the pot tightly and leave it on the lowest heat without lifting the lid, so the rice steams evenly.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz green grams (whole mung beans)rinsed
- 3 ¾ cups water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 9 oz basmati or pishori ricerinsed
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Boil 5 ½ oz green grams (whole mung beans) in 3 ¾ cups water for 20 minutes until tender but still whole. Drain, keeping 250 ml of the liquid.
20 minStep 2: In the same pot, heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil and fry 1 onion for 6 minutes until golden. Stir in 2 cloves garlic and ¼ tsp ground turmeric for 30 seconds.
7 minStep 3: Add 9 oz basmati or pishori rice, the cooked grams, 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, the reserved liquid and 1 ¼ tsp salt. Bring to the boil, stirring once.
3 minStep 4: Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mseto take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 45 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 green grams (whole mung beans)?
- Any whole pulse, such as moth beans or chickpeas (for sprouting; times vary).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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