Ugali
Overview
Ugali is white maize flour cooked in boiling water and stirred until it turns into a firm, smooth mound. To make ugali, you bring the water to the boil and let the flour fall in slowly through your fingers. Keep stirring and pressing out lumps until the mass pulls away from the pot. A short covered steam on low heat finishes it. It's the everyday starch of Kenya and Tanzania. The same dish runs across East and Southern Africa under other names: nsima in Malawi and Zambia, sadza in Zimbabwe, posho in Uganda and pap in South Africa. Ugali isn't meant to carry much flavour of its own. Its job is to sit beside a stew, greens or fish and do the scooping. You eat it with your right hand, pinching off a piece, rolling it into a ball and pressing your thumb in to make a hollow that scoops up sukuma wiki or stew. With grilled nyama choma and a kachumbari of tomato and onion, it makes one of Kenya's best known plates. Maize came to Africa from the Americas through Portuguese trade, and over time it pushed sorghum and millet aside everywhere except the drier regions. Ugali can still be made from sorghum, millet or cassava.
AFN Heritage Note
Ugali is documented across East and Southern Africa under names including nsima, nshima, sadza, posho and pap. Maize reached the region through Portuguese Atlantic trade from the 16th century and displaced sorghum and millet as the dominant grain, though both are still used for the same preparation.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
- 2
Stir in the cornmeal slowly, letting it fall through the fingers of your hand.
- 3
Reduce the heat to medium low and continue stirring regularly, smashing any lumps with a spoon, until the mass pulls away from the sides of the pot and becomes very thick, about 10 minutes.
- 4
Cover and leave to steam for a further 10 minutes on low heat.
- 5
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- 6
Turn the ugali out into a large serving bowl.
- 7
Wet your hands with water, form it into a ball, and serve.
Africook’s Notes
- Let the flour fall through your fingers in a thin stream while stirring. Tipping it in gives lumps that will not come out once the mass stiffens.
- It is ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the pot and a wet spoon pressed into the surface comes away clean. That test is more reliable than any timing.
- The final covered steam is what finishes the starch. Ugali served straight after the stirring stage tastes raw and floury.
- Most Kenyan households do not salt the water. The salt is optional here and traditionally left out, since the flavour comes from what the ugali is eaten with.
- Sorghum, millet and coarse cassava flour all work in place of maize, and each gives a different colour and flavour. More or less water adjusts the firmness to preference.
Questions cooks ask
What is ugali made of?
Plain ugali is white maize flour, often sold as white cornmeal, cooked in boiling water. Our recipe uses 2 cups of finely ground white cornmeal to 4 cups of water, with salt as an optional extra. In parts of Kenya it's also made from sorghum, millet or cassava, which changes the colour and the taste.
What is ugali in English?
There isn't one neat English word for it. The closest description is a stiff maize porridge, cooked until it's firm enough to hold its shape and be eaten by hand. In South Africa the same dish, pap, is often compared to polenta.
Why is my ugali lumpy?
Usually the flour went in too fast. Let it fall through your fingers in a thin stream while you stir, and if lumps have already formed, press them hard against the side of the pot with the back of a wooden spoon while the mix is still loose.
Is ugali the same as fufu?
They're eaten the same way, rolled by hand and used to scoop soup or stew, but they aren't the same food. Ugali is maize flour stirred into boiling water and belongs to East and Southern Africa. Fufu is the West and Central African swallow, usually made from cassava, yam or plantain.
What is ugali called in Nigeria?
Nigeria doesn't use the name ugali, but tuwon masara, the corn-flour swallow eaten mostly by Hausa and Fulani families in the north, is the closest relative. Watch out for the word pap, though. In South Africa pap means stiff maize porridge like ugali, while in Nigeria pap means ogi or akamu, a smooth, soft fermented corn pudding.
How do I know when ugali is ready?
It pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pot and a wet spoon pressed into it comes away clean. It should hold its shape when you cut a portion but stay smooth rather than crumbly. Don't skip the 10 minutes of covered steaming at the end, or it can taste raw and floury.
What is ugali eaten with?
Sukuma wiki, the braised collard greens, is the everyday partner, along with beans, fish and meat stews. For a weekend treat in Kenya it goes with nyama choma, grilled goat or beef, and kachumbari, a fresh salad of tomato, onion, lime and chilli. Kenyans traditionally take a bite of ugali first and follow it with the meat and salad.
Reviews
5 reviews
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herh, letting the cornmeal fall slowly through your fingers is the exact trick my Kenyan friend taught me! Was struggling to get fine white cornmeal here in Leeds until I checked the Afro shop in Kirkgate market. Most UK supermarkets only sell yellow polenta which completely ruins the texture oo. That 10 minutes steaming at the end on low heat makes it so smooth.
Finding proper fine white cornmeal in Berlin is no be small thing sha, had to trek all the way to Wedding. First time I made this I didn't smash the lumps properly with the spoon so it was a bit grainy, but lowering the heat and letting it pull away from the pot sides fixed everything. E sweet o.
my arm was aching from all that stirring! couldn't find white cornmeal at tesco in birmingham so had to get white maize meal from the Asian grocer in alum rock. that 10 mins steaming step covered on low heat is crucial o, softened it right up without sticking too much to the bottom.
This is just like tuwo masara! My arm almost gave up while stirring to get all the lumps out before covering the pot to steam, but the texture came out so firm and smooth. Paired mine with halal beef and spinach sauce. Really filling meal abeg.
Is salt really necessary though? We never add salt to swallow like this or tuwo masara back home, the soup gives all the flavour. Tried this recipe yesterday and smashed the lumps well well. Very stiff and perfect texture for dipping into stew.