Molokoni: Prized Ugandan dish

I recall, cow hoof stew commonly referred to as molokoni in Uganda is a much prized dish that is relished by the hoi polloi and is not the sort of dish that one finds on a restaurant menu in a classy joint in town. Not surprisingly, it is served in the evening and many a bachelor gets by on molokoni for supper and then ambles to his locale to partake of some local brew. It is common to find women selling molokoni in kafunda joints that abound Kampala.

And the consumers
For some obscure reason, Ugandans on the whole tend to consider items such as tripe, tongue, cow hoofs, pig’s trotters, pig ears, snout, and tail as fodder for the masses. It is worth noting that aforementioned, are relatively less expensive than say a kilo of beef. Our people have a tendency of equating price with quality hence the attractiveness of these items.

Prepping
The best way to cook cow hoof is by using a crock pot or slow cooker. Given the nature of the hoof. Being a tendon that is tough and traverses miles grazing and foraging for food, those particular bone muscles need hours of gently stewing. Besides, molokoni rather such as oxtail or offals to be fully appreciated must be cooked until very tender and falling off the bones.

More than food
Ugandans who are afflicted with gout and similar joint pain commonly believe that molokoni has curative and medicinal values and swear by it as the best cure for these ailments. On the other hand, the West Indians are of the view that molokoni boosts manhood; whatever the case never underestimate the power of mind over matter.
My research has not yielded any facts to substantiate this claim though what is true is that molokoni has a high degree of gelatinous gristle that is a jelly and rich substance that binds the sauce.

The cost
Nalongo in my ‘hood’ who cooks molokoni and sells it in the evening, tells me that all one needs to boil it would be water, salt, onions and maybe a bit of tomatoes. Nothing fancy and after all she reasons, her customers are not discerning in their taste and adding green pepper, carrots and such would hardly be cost effective for something that sells for about Shs3,500 for a plate that includes some Irish or cassava and rarely a dollop of greens.
A good size cow hoof will set you back at least Shs10,000 and the butcher will chop five to six portions. When one considers the low selling price and you add the cost of rent, labour, charcoal, onions, and Irish or cassava you are really looking at slim pickings. By the way, typically clever and practical of our people, they have devised a name for the three sections of the cow’s foot. One can order for akalinaya (literally that which steps or walks), the pipe, and socks.
The Italians have a dish from Florence known as Zampa Buratta or buttered cow hoof stew. While you will find a Jewish dish made from jellied calves’ feet called petcha, similarly, in Mexico is a delicious soup that contains beef and chunks of cow hoof.
If you are the adventurous type who dabbles in cookery, I recommend mokoto, the Nigerian variant of cow’s foot with goat meat and tripe. It is quite a tour de force of a dish and requires several hours of cooking, but the results are terrific and worth every effort and penny.

Serves 8
Ingredients
Works well with a crock pot.
3 cow trotters sawed in half and cut 1kg offals into pieces
1 kg boneless goat meat Vegetable oil
4 chopped and seeded tomatoes 2 tbsp crushed garlic
4-6 chopped Jalapeno chillies 4 tbsp chopped cilantro
4 tbsp tomato paste Salt and pepper to taste
900 ml (4 cups) stock
50 ml (1/4 cup) dried ground shrimp
4 tbsp rice vinegar 125 ml (1/2 cup) dry sherry
4 tbsp chopped celery with the leaves 4 tbsp finely chopped ginger
6 tbsp liquid cornflower
6 finely chopped onions
2 bay leaf
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

METHOD:
1. Cut the offals into small bite size pieces and combine it with the cow trotters. Add some water and bring to boil. Add some salt and pepper, two of the chopped onions, some of the garlic, ginger. As soon as it begins to boil reduce and simmer for at least 4 hours. Offals and cow’s trotters take long to cook. The operation would be easier if you were to cook them in a crock-pot overnight and continue with the rest of the cooking the next day. It is sine qua non that the two items must be cooked until they are thoroughly tender. In the case of the cow’s trotters these must befalling of the hoof. An hour before the two are ready, add the goat meat in bite size pieces.
2. As soon as they are cooked and tender, remove them from the saucepan and reserve the stock. When the cow’s hoof has cooled down, remove the meat from the bones and discard them and return the meat with the goat and offals.
3. Heat a saucepan that can comfortably hold the above meats and add a bit of vegetable oil and when hot add the remaining chopped onions. Gently sauté them for about five minutes until they become translucent. Add the rest of the garlic and ginger. Cook another couple of minutes before adding the remaining ingredients save for the stock and the liquid cornstarch. Watch for any signs of burning before adding the meat as well as the stock. Bring to boil. Taste and correct seasoning before simmering over low heat covered for about an hour.
4. Ten minutes before serving, taste and correct seasoning.Remove the bay leaf and add the liquid cornstarch. Serve hot.