National Dish Madagascar: Vary Kitoza (Recipe)
In this article
Vary Kitoza is the Malagasy breakfast of choice in the highlands: a bowl of rice served with kitoza, long strips of beef that have been salted, dried and smoked, then grilled or fried until the edges crisp. Traditionally the meat is zebu, the humped cattle that are central to Malagasy life; ordinary beef works perfectly well at home.
About Vary Kitoza
Vary Kitoza pairs two staples of Malagasy cooking: vary (rice) and kitoza (strips of dried, smoked meat). The meat is cut into long thin strips, salted and hung to dry, then smoked over a low fire, a preservation method that also concentrates the flavour enormously. Served with rice, often at breakfast and frequently with a bowl of rice water (ranovola) alongside, it is a substantial start to the day in the Malagasy highlands.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 200 g rice
- 250 g beef (substituting for zebu; rump or topside)
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon oil, for frying
- Fresh ginger, to taste
Shopping for the ingredients
A lean cut is essential, since fat does not dry well, rump, topside or silverside are all suitable. Ask the butcher to cut it into long strips about a centimetre thick, or do it yourself with a sharp knife against the grain. For the rice, a long-grain variety is standard; Madagascar grows and eats extraordinary quantities of it.
Preparing the dish
Cut the beef into long strips and rub them thoroughly with salt and pepper. In Madagascar these would hang in the sun and then over a smoky fire for a day or more; at home, a low oven (70 °C, door slightly ajar) for 3–4 hours produces a very good approximation, and a little smoked paprika or liquid smoke rubbed in beforehand supplies the missing note.
Step-by-step instructions
- Cut the beef into long strips about 1 cm thick.
- Rub generously with salt, pepper and grated ginger, and leave 2 hours.
- Dry in a low oven at 70 °C for 3–4 hours, until firm but still pliable.
- Cook the rice in salted water until tender.
- Fry the onion, garlic and tomatoes in a little oil to make a simple relish.
- Grill or pan-fry the dried meat strips for 2–3 minutes per side, until the edges crisp.
- Slice the meat across the grain and serve over the rice with the tomato relish.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Vary Kitoza contains neither gluten nor dairy. It is rice, beef and aromatics. It needs no adaptation at all for either intolerance, which makes it a genuinely easy dish to serve to guests with restrictions.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Dried smoked meat has no direct plant equivalent, but strips of marinated, dried and pan-fried aubergine or king oyster mushroom take the same salt-pepper-ginger treatment surprisingly well and give a comparable chew. Served over rice with the tomato relish, the meal keeps its shape and most of its character.
More tips and tricks
Cut the meat with the grain for drying and against it for serving. That is what keeps it chewable rather than tough. Do not over-dry: the strips should stay flexible, not brittle. And keep the frying brief and hot, since the meat is already cooked through and only needs its edges crisped.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Some households marinate the strips with garlic and chilli before drying. Serving ranovola, water boiled in the pot with the toasted rice crust, is the fully traditional accompaniment and worth trying. A fried egg on top turns the dish into a more substantial breakfast.
Ingredient substitutions
Good-quality biltong or jerky can replace home-dried kitoza entirely, needing only a quick fry. Pork is used in some Malagasy versions. Any long-grain rice works, though the toasted crust at the bottom of the pot is considered a delicacy in its own right.
Drink pairing ideas
Ranovola, the smoky rice water made from the pot’s toasted crust, is the classic accompaniment and utterly Malagasy. Strong coffee is the everyday alternative at breakfast. For a fuller meal, a light beer such as Madagascar’s THB suits the smoky meat well.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve vary kitoza with a generous mound of rice, the sliced meat fanned across it and the tomato relish spooned alongside. In Madagascar it arrives simply, in a wide bowl, with a cup of ranovola beside it. Fresh chilli on the side is welcome for those who want it.
A bit of history
Zebu cattle are woven through Malagasy culture, as wealth, as sacrificial animals at ceremonies, and as food, and preserving their meat as kitoza allowed families to keep protein without refrigeration. The technique of salting, drying and smoking long strips is centuries old and still practised in the highlands. Vary Kitoza is a genuine window onto Malagasy cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Vary Kitoza
Vary Kitoza is rice with smoked dried beef, the Malagasy highlands’ answer to a proper breakfast. Dry the strips slowly, crisp them fast, and serve them over plenty of rice with a simple tomato relish. Substantial, smoky and completely distinctive.
