Ugali and Sukuma Wiki
Stiff maize meal cooked until it pulls away from the pan, served with collard greens fried with onion and tomato. Kenya's everyday plate.
Photograph credit: Ugali & Sukuma Wiki by Paresh Jai from Nairobi, Kenya · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Build the Meal Around Ugali and Sukuma Wiki
- Nyama choma
- A stewed meat or beans
- Pili pili
How to Cook Ugali and Sukuma Wiki
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For the sukuma, heat the oil and cook the onion for 8 minutes until soft and lightly coloured.
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Add the garlic and coriander for 1 minute, then the tomatoes, and cook 8 minutes until they break down.
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Add the shredded greens with the water, salt and pepper. Stir, cover, and cook 8 to 10 minutes only, until tender and still bright green.
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Uncover, let any liquid cook away, and finish with the lemon juice.
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For the ugali, bring the water and salt to a boil in a heavy pan.
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Add about a third of the maize meal, whisking, and cook 3 minutes to a smooth porridge.
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Add the rest of the maize meal in a steady stream while stirring with a strong wooden spoon. It will become very stiff very quickly.
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Now press and turn the mixture against the side of the pan, folding it over itself, for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat. It should become smooth and start pulling cleanly away from the pan.
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Shape it into a dome in the pan, cover, and steam 3 minutes.
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Turn out onto a plate in one piece. Serve with the sukuma, tearing off pieces of ugali by hand to scoop up the greens.
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A Few Notes
Turn and press the ugali for ten minutes. Undercooked, it tastes raw and grainy.
Greens for eight minutes only. They should stay green.
A heavy pan and a strong wooden spoon. This takes real effort.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Leftovers
Ugali is best fresh; it firms up cold and can be sliced and fried. Sukuma keeps 3 days.
Ugali and Sukuma Wiki Nutrition Facts
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low. How the figures are worked out.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .