Githeri

Method

1. The night before, put 60 g of dried maize and 50 g of dried beans in a bowl, cover with cold water by at least 5 cm and leave to soak for 8-12 hours. They should swell and wrinkle; drain and rinse before cooking.
2. Put the drained maize and beans in a saucepan, cover generously with fresh cold water and bring to a rolling boil. Skim off any foam, lower to a steady simmer, part-cover and cook 80-90 minutes, topping up with hot water if the pan runs dry. They are ready when a maize kernel crushes easily between finger and thumb and the beans are creamy inside. Drain, saving about a cupful of the cooking liquid.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a heavy sufuria or saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 of finely chopped onion with a pinch of the salt and fry 5-6 minutes, stirring, until soft and just turning golden at the edges.