Seasoned Literature

Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King

Read Time:3 Minute, 5 Second

The Book?

Among many self-help books to motivate someone, I was glad to find and read Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King. In a time where people are grieving, losing hope in humanity and the decline of capitalism, it’s a book that has encouraged someone like myself to keep going through this pandemic.

It has made me feel more grateful for life and see a more positive outlook on things despite how tough my life and others have been, especially in recent years. I loved reading King’s experiences and some were an eye-opener like his flatmate at University and the reality of his childhood.

One emotional pull in from King’s writing and I believe any reader will agree it’s a life-changing book from the way he writes to motivate others to practice self-love. For me telling personal stories and giving advice really helps me understand the author a little more and strive to build myself through their words.

The Dish?

Because of his Ugadan and Gujarat roots, I chose the dish, Spicy Mashed Matoke to go with Good Vibes, Good Life. Although it is not a fusion from both cultures like I wanted to find, I think it implements his roots especially in his first chapters of this book and his upbringing as a child. Spicy Mashed Matoke is a green banana mash that originates from Uganda that’s cooked with a handful of seasoning and spices such as green chillies and cumin.

This dish can be mage vegan too and served with roti (also known as chapati). Sanjana of Sanjana Feasts made a wonderful recipe that I could share so you’re all able to make it. Please check out her website for more delicious Indian and East Asian dishes just like this one below.

Ingredients

10 Matoke small green bananas
125 g salted butter or vegan butter
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 large onions chopped
8 cloves garlic
2 green chillies
1 tin chopped tomatoes 300g
1 tbsp concentrated tomato purée
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tsp ground black pepper
Chapos East African Layered Chapattis, to serve

How-to Recipe

In a large, non-stick pan, melt the butter. Add the cumin seeds and chopped onions. Sauté the onions over a medium heat until lightly golden, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic, chillies and concentrated tomatoe purée and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
Top and tail the Matoke. Cut each one in half and slit the skin of each half lengthways. Pop these into a pressure cooker and fill with 500ml water. Pressure cook for 3 whistles and then switch off the heat. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you’ll need to boil the Matoke in a big pan of water with a lid until tender, about 30 minutes.
Allow the Matoke to cool until you can just about handle them. They need to be hot. This is really important. If you let them cool down too much they will become super starchy and be hard to mash, leaving you with a lumpy finish. Peel the Matoke and mash them with a potato masher until smooth.
Add the mashed Matoke to the tomato and onion mixture and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring all the time. The butter should start to separate from the Matoke at the sides of the pan. Now add the cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, black pepper and chopped coriander and mix thoroughly.
Serve immediately with hot Chapos (chapattis).