EAST AFRICA’S UGALI (CORNMEAL)

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Contributed by: The BMC Teaching Kitchen

A plate of ugali, sukuma wiki and nyama choma

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Ugali, a basic staple eaten across several African countries only differs in name and consistency (hard or soft). While in some English speaking countries cornmeal is also called posho, it is under different aliases with the most notable ones being fufu from West Africa and ugali as it is called in Kenya and Tanzania.

Cornmeal is very easy to prepare, making it a perfect quick fix for either lunch or dinner. Ugali is very bland but if paired with beef stew, veggies like spinach or protein like fish – it sure is very delightful and quite filling.

Unlike other fufu, corn meal needs to be cooked for about 15 minutes or more to get rid of the raw taste and corn powder chunks. Be prepared to do some stirring to get a smooth paste. Cornmeal hardens as it cools down, so if you want like really soft ugali, use more water.

Serves:
1 servings
Total Time:
30 minutes
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes

Ingredients


Water – 4 cups (or more for softer ugali) Corn_Flour – 2 cups, fine (maize flour)

Instructions

Step 1
In a pot, boil 4 cups of water on high heat for about 5 minutes. Do not boil.
Step 2
Add 1 ½ cups corn flour to the water, stirring constantly with a spoon to remove all lumps.
Step 3
Continue to stir until it thickens into a porridge consistency. You may have to take the saucepan off the heat while getting rid of lumps to prevent it from burning. Cover the pot and leave it to cook for about 2 to 5 minutes on low to medium heat.
Step 4
Add the rest of the flour to make the consistency harder, almost like play dough, continue to mix it until all the flour is mixed in, and mash all the lumps/chunks.
Step 5
Keep mingling the ugali and ensure that it turns into a firm or soft dough-like consistency.
Step 6
Mold it in the middle of the pot into a nice round shape, and place on a serving dish.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Serving Size:
4 serving
Calories:
429 Calories
Fat:
2.0
Saturated Fat:
0.5
Carbohydrates:
Net Carb: 38.5
Dietary Fiber:
5.0
Protein:
3.5
Sodium:
82.4