Chicken Luwombo is a Ugandan delicacy and a favorite for many locals. Should you ever wish to eat like a local on your next visit to this beautiful country, then Chicken Luwombo is highly recommended. Most locals eat this unique meal on exceptional days but you could enjoy this delicious delicacy any day, every day while in Uganda.

What exactly is it?

Luwombo is essentially sauce cooked in banana leaves, which are particularly prepared over heat with low smoke to make them aromatic and soft enough to contain the food. It is in reality a method of preparing stews by steaming as you will get to learn as you read on.

There are different types of Luwombo, but in this article we get to explore the Chicken type. The other types include; smoked meat luwombo, mushrooms in ground nuts paste luwombo, smoked meat in ground nuts paste luwombo and dry fish in ground nuts paste luwombo – a story for another day. 

How Chicken Luwombo is Prepared?

Chicken Luwombo recipe;

Ingredients include; 1 whole chicken,1 large onion, 2 medium sized tomatoes, 1 large carrot, 3 Irish potatoes,1 tablespoon of cilantro, Salt to taste,1 cup of water, Spices of your choice (1 chicken stock cube, 1 teaspoon Chicken curry masala, 1 teaspoon gram masala, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper), 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional and used only if the chicken is lean), Luwombo leaves (You can get these readily prepared), Kitchen thread or a banana fiber.

Directions;

You could decide to prepare this dish as a whole chicken or the chicken cut into pieces, have the chicken smoked over charcoal until it is golden brown. You could decide to use a Grill or BBQ stove for this purpose. Add the whole chicken or the pieces in the luwombo leaf that is positioned in a large enough bowel.

Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, carrot, and cilantro into the chicken. Peel and dice the potatoes into the chicken and add the salt, plus spices to the water, mix well and pour into the chicken. Later on, add olive oil if the chicken is lean and not fatty, then wrap up the banana leaf and tie it up with kitchen thread or the banana fiber.

When it comes to cooking, you could further rap your luwombo with normal banana leaves in a saucepan cushioned with a banana stem at the bottom and cover to prevent loss of steam as much as possible. Should you be out of reach of the above, simply steam your luwombo using a steamer all at medium heat for up to 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.

Where to Eat Chicken Luwombo?

If you are not the cooking type, you can easily find this delicacy in different restaurants around Kampala. There is however this one restaurant that is highly recommended and that is Shaka Zulu. 

Shaka Zulu is a charming restaurant offering African food and drinks, with its soul in Uganda and East Africa. Shaka Zulu is located at Kiswa in Bugolobi and is famed for its Ugandan cuisine, especially the “luwombo” – sauce prepared in steamed banana leaves. The restaurant offers an impressive standard of food; The matooke, rice, and sauce are done here. They offer luwombos of chicken, goat meat, and groundnut sauce. Their meals are expertly done, tasty and generous in portions, a remarkable and efficient service with turnaround time from the time of placing one’s order being no more than five minutes. 

Let us help make you that order or reservation for Chicken Luwombo. Feeling lonely and looking for company? Dine with us as we help answer all those questions you had about Uganda and its people. Similarly, should you need a private chef, we can arrange or hire one for you. All at your comfort!