In a hurry? Click here to jump to the recipe. Yes, please! Give me the FREE chapter and discount! A bit of ugali history Before the 19th century, sorghum and millet were the primary grains produced and consumed in Kenya. Ugali - Kenyan cornmeal. Author: Sandra Mukidza. Ugali is a cornmeal porridge similiar to polenta. The recipe does not call for any salt, but if you find your tastebuds need a bit more saltiness, you could serve it with some salted butter or add a big pinch of salt to the water at the beginning.
Pin it for later! In my guide to the top traditional Kenyan foods , I introduced you to one of the most popular dishes in Kenya, Ugali. I also gave you the top 10 places to eat traditional Kenyan dishes in Nairobi , and I assure you that Ugali will be on the menu. You cannot come to Kenya and fail to eat Ugali. That is like visiting Paris for the first time and not taking a photo at the Eiffel Tower I love Paris if you cannot already tell. Ugali is so popular in Kenya, that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, ate it on his very first trip to Kenya.
Barrack Obama, former US president, has also talked of how he used to eat Ugali with his sister. Some tribes in Kenya like the Luhya tribe even believe that if you have not eaten Ugali for dinner, then you are sleeping on an empty stomach, regardless of whatever else you have eaten. Ugali is an African meal made by mixing maize flour or corn meal with hot water consistently until it reaches a stiff or dough-like consistency, over a fire.
Different tribes in Kenya also have different names for this meal. Maize flour is the common ingredient for making Ugali, but you can also use sorghum or millet flour. Timothy, our safari driver and native Tanzanian, did the ordering. He also answered our two dozen food related questions. Just like he did with the animal inquiries while on safari in Serengeti. He ordered a selection of dishes for sharing; Ugali Samaki — Samaki means fish and in this case that fish was talapia.
The whole fish was served covered with cabbage. Prior to eating I made my way to an orange thermos that was set up to the side for hand washing. Soap was found in an old water bottle with a hole punched in the top for easy dispensing. Hand washing is always important, but much more so in Africa because here they eat with their hands. Even though we knew this, we asked for forks.
They gave us spoons. We ate with our hands. Turns out they are very handy utensils. The starchy Ugali came by itself in a perfect mound in the center of the plate. I surrounded my white hill with a little from each of the share plates. I like variety. Then, as instructed, I took small sections of the cornmeal, rolled it into a ball and sopped up all the other goodies with it. NB: The amount that I prepare is enough for two.
However, for the common man that would be enough for one. Normally, they have one heavy meal only and ugali tends to keep away hunger pangs for a long period of time. Either lunch or dinner is a light meal. Are the red beans same as kidney beans?
Learnt a recipe from a new cuisine here. Thanks for linking it to ONLY gluten free. Other African versions include ugali or […]. Hello, in South Africa we call it pap. I have a recipe that includes bindi and potatoe to a topping of pap and cheese, if you are interested.
Thank you for all the tips and delicious recipes. Made from maize meal this Ugali recipe, Kenyan staple food is what I have never heard of.
As I always say, Mayuri your passion for food and the way you present lesser known cuisines is such a delightful read always. Such a wonderful post, Mayuri! Thank you so much Azlin for the opportunity. Most of the dishes are very simple, at least the veggie ones. You bring food history to live. I love the way you explain the origins of these lesser known foods. As a food blogger these are valued, authentic information. Someday, will love to try my hand at Kenyan cuisine.
Thank you so much Seema, in fact there are quite a large community of Kenyans living in Australia. So if ever you come across an African grocery store or Indian you may find white maize meal. Absolutely delicious and delighted to see this yum traditional Kenyan dish! Thanks for sharing it with us! Ugali sounds so easy to make, but I suspect it can be tricky, especially if you mess with the proportions.
Can I use the makai ka atta to make Ugali? I will love to try it out! Thank you Archana as easy as it looks, the proportion of water to flour is important otherwise you land up with a lumpy mass with raw flour in the lumps.
Yellow maize meal one taste different, more sweetish and also the texture will be sticky. But go ahead and try it. Ugali is an interesting dish. Good to know about the Kenyan cuisine through your blogs Mayuri. I hope to try it sometime, I must find the maize meal here.
It reminds of the mudde we do, something similar with millets. Thank you so much Jayashree. Here they also make ugali with ragi which actually is a bit like mudde. It is more digestible for toddlers and the elderly. I see there is so much tradition behind this recipe as to how to eat and so. Thanks for giving those detail about this new recipe. I love east African cuisine, most of the recipes are prepared with a few and very basic ingredients, also so easy to prepare.
My in-laws often talk about Ugali recipes, yet to try in my kitchen. Ugali recipe made from maize meal sounds interesting! A new recipe to me…never heard of! Thanks for the the detailed information about this new recipe!
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