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Meat, Africa and overseas

Beef mtori soup

Beef mtori soup is a creamy Tanzanian soup made with green plantains, potatoes, and slow simmered beef, blended until velvety smooth. For 4 people, it takes 90 minutes, rates as easy, and costs €3.00 per serving. The key is blending it long enough for a silky texture and setting aside a few pieces of beef to serve on top.

Tonight, Tanzania warms you up with mtori, a creamy soup of green plantains and beef, blended smooth and flavored with onion.

Beef mtori soup
Total time
1 h 30
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.00
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Mtori surprises you first with its texture, a thick, smooth puree carried by green plantains that stand in for flour or cream. The slow simmered beef gives the broth real depth, and the pieces you set aside at the end add a bit of bite to an otherwise completely smooth soup. Onion and garlic season it gently without ever overpowering the plantain.

This is a dish that truly warms you up, built for cool fall or winter evenings when you want a comforting bowl instead of a regular plate. Kids tend to like it because it's mild and has no tricky chunks once it's blended. It works just as well for a weeknight dinner as for a Sunday meal, served as a generous starter or as the main course.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck 500 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Green plantains 5
  • Potatoes 2
  • Onion 2
  • Carrots 2
  • Garlic 2 cloves

Pantry

  • Chicken bouillon cubeoften in the pantry 1
  • Oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the beef chuck into small pieces and brown it in the oil with a sliced onion. 10 min

    Brown the meat well, it gives the soup its depth of flavor.

  2. Cover with 1.5 liters of water and the bouillon cube, then simmer until the meat is tender. 45 min

    Skim the surface at the start of cooking for a clear broth.

  3. Peel the plantains, potatoes, and carrots, cut them into pieces, and add them along with the garlic.

    Cut them into even pieces for even cooking.

  4. Cook until the vegetables are tender, then remove a few pieces of beef to set aside. 20 min

    Keep the beef aside to serve as a garnish.

  5. Blend the soup until smooth, adjust the salt and pepper, and serve with the beef on top.

    Add a little hot water if it's too thick.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick plantains that are very green and firm, they hold up better during cooking and give the puree a sturdier texture than ripe plantains would.
  • Blend the soup while it's still hot, it comes out smoother than once it's cooled, and add hot water gradually to adjust the thickness without thinning it too much.
  • Skim the broth throughout the beef's cooking time, not just at the start, to keep a clear base that blends into a cleaner tasting soup.

The variations

  • Swap the beef chuck for lamb shoulder for a stronger flavor, the cooking time stays about the same.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the beef and use vegetable broth, adding a handful of chickpeas for texture.
  • For kids in a hurry, blend all the beef into the soup instead of setting any aside, so there are no pieces to pick out.

What to serve it with

  • Fresh bread or chapati
  • Lime wedges
  • Spiced black tea

Storage

Mtori keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It freezes well for up to 2 months, ideally before adding the beef garnish. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of water if it has thickened too much.

Questions about this dish

Can you substitute the plantains with something else?

Green plantains give mtori its signature texture, so they're hard to truly replace. Extra potatoes will work in a pinch, giving a milder but still decent soup.

Do you need an immersion blender or a stand blender?

Both work, but a stand blender usually gives a smoother result. Blend in small batches if you're using a regular blender, since the soup is hot and there's a lot of it.

Can you make mtori ahead of time?

Yes, make it the day before, the flavor actually improves after resting overnight. Reheat it gently and add the reserved beef just before serving.

Why set aside some of the beef?

Blending all the beef in would make the texture pasty instead of velvety. Keeping a few pieces aside lets you add them back as a garnish for contrast.

How long does it take to make a beef mtori soup?

Count 1 h 30 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a beef mtori soup?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a beef mtori soup cost?

About €3.00 per serving, or €12.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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