America has Mac and cheese, China has rice, Germany had sausages while Jamaica has yummy jerk chicken. I am a self confessed foodies and love trying out new foods and new cultures at any given chance. There's very few things that I won't eat that includes snails and snakes but anything else I'm a good sport. Oh! and bugs, no bugs for me please!
Any Kenyan worth their salt will tell you that ugali is one of their favorite foods. It can be eaten with pretty much any type of stew from meat, potato stew, veggies, soup basically anything that punches flavor. That is because it has a very bland taste and is mostly just used as an accompaniment though we also eat it with butter milk or plain milk if need be. But the most common accompaniment for ugali is sukumawiki known as kale. Kale is another staple in Kenyan homes and most of us can't go more than two days without incorporating kale into our meals but it is more often cooked rather than eaten raw.
Now ugali can compared to Polenta but without the salt and cheese and since we are in Africa, the most common type of maize meal is white and not yellow although the yellow one is also available but not as common.
To cook the ugali you need;
- Maize meal
- Boiling water
That's all, simple right? And it's so filling especially after a long hard day at work or running errands. Kenyans are known for working with their hands and after a hard day most men especially prefer a nice hearty meal.
So, to make the ugali just bring water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and be careful so that the forming flour bubbles don't 'jump' on you, it hurt like hell. Then slowly add the maize flour which stirring with a special wooden spoon called a mwiko. Looks like this
Stir the mixture until it get a bit lumpy and porridge like. Now stir it until it solidifies then leave it on the stove until you get a sort of nutty smell then flip it onto a flat plate and let it cool.
Now to cook the sukumawiki we need:
1.Sukumawiki (kale) thinly sliced
2.Onions, ginger and garlic
3.Tomatoes
4.Green bell pepper
5.Corriander
6.Cooking oil( preferably veggie oil)
7.Spices...whichever you have on deck but I use cummin, paprika and royco(only for Kenyans)
8.salt
9.Meat (beef or goat) it's optional
Place your onions, ginger, garlic and some cooking oil in a pot. Let it cook for two minutes or so on low to medium heat. Don't let it brown, when the mixture is translucent add your meat and cover.
After cooking for about 15 minutes add your tomatoes, green bell pepper and Coriander to your meat and cover before stirring it. Let it steam for a minute or two then stir it adding a pinch of salt in the process.
Now your meat is ready, add the sukumawiki. If you didn't add meat in the first place, just skip the whole meat cooking process and add your sukumawiki immediately after your onions are done, no need for tomatoes either. For those who can't eat food without meat like myself, let's continue...
Add the thinly sliced sukumawiki in portions directly on top of the meat while stirring it and when done cover for a minute or so depending on the amount. But basically not more than 5 minutes regardless of the portion.
Here I had cooked tripe or cows intestines with my ugali...another yummy idea!
Add your spices and stir a final time then remove from the stove and serve immediately with your steaming hot ugali. I add a bit of chilli sauce because, why not.....enjoy your meal.
It has to be served piping hot people! Otherwise it just won't be as yummy..
