Steamed Comfort Food · Dumplings
Matemekwane (Steamed Dumplings)
Photo: Mothusi Sekhomba / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The dumplings have no filling at all — they're dropped as plain dough into simmering stew or water, puffing up and floating to the surface once they're cooked through.
A simple dough of flour, salt and baking powder is rolled into balls and simmered until light and spongy. Around Gaborone they're served alongside beef or chicken stew, soaking up the gravy, or split open and packed with meat and vegetables as a handheld snack.
Why it's made this way: Dumplings spread through Botswana's kitchens as an easy way to stretch a stew to feed a larger family, and they remain a fixture of home cooking in the capital's neighbourhoods.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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