Githeri

One of the traditional foods in Kenya (and a favorite in the area where we now live), is githeri.  This is a mixture of maize and beans cooked together.  The challenge is that it takes a really long time to cook, especially if you are using dried maize and beans.  Like hours upon hours (especially if you don't soak the beans and maize beforehand).  If you remember, though, I built a fireless cooker while living in Uganda.  I wanted to try it out with githeri so I can share the cooking method with people here.  And I am happy to report that it worked!  Here's what I did:

Soak approximately equal amounts of dry beans and dry maize (this is basically field corn) in water overnight.  In the morning, pour off the water and cover it with clean water.  Bring it to a boil and boil for ten minutes.  After ten minutes, cover the pot and put it into the fireless cooker, covered with more blankets or insulation.  Let it stay in there for about 4 hours.  After that, take it out and the beans and maize will be cooked!  At this point, you can drain off any excess water and add any spices or tomatoes or whatever else you want to add.  I used some curry powder and Royco (a common seasoning in Uganda and Kenya - it's kind of like bullion plus corn starch for thickening).