Ugali (Tanzanian Maize Porridge)
In short: A stiff, smooth maize porridge, shaped into a mound and eaten by hand with stews, beans, greens or fish. The daily staple of mainland Tanzania. It takes about 25 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 315 kcal
Ugali is the staple of mainland Tanzania, a stiff, smooth maize porridge cooked in minutes and eaten at lunch and dinner almost every day. It is not eaten alone: you pinch off a piece, roll it into a ball, press a dent in it with your thumb and use it to scoop up stew, beans, fish or greens. Good ugali is firm enough to hold its shape yet soft inside. The trick is adding the flour gradually and beating hard.
Instructions
- Pour the 750 ml of water into a heavy pot, add the salt and bring to a boil.
- Whisk 100 g of the flour with the 120 ml of cold water until smooth. Pour it into the boiling water, stirring, and cook for 3 minutes into a thin porridge.
- Lower the heat. Add another 100 g of flour and stir hard with a sturdy wooden spoon to keep it smooth. The mixture will thicken quickly.
- Add the remaining flour a handful at a time, pressing and folding the dough against the side of the pot. Keep going for 5 to 8 minutes until it is stiff, smooth and pulls away from the sides.
- Cover the pot and cook on the lowest heat for 3 minutes so the flour steams through and loses its raw taste.
- Turn the ugali onto a wet plate and shape it into a smooth mound with a wet spoon. Serve hot with stew, beans or greens.
Tips
- Use fine white maize flour sold as sembe or ugali flour. Yellow cornmeal and coarse polenta work, but give a grainier, more crumbly ugali.
- Wet your spoon and hands before shaping, since ugali sticks to dry surfaces. Leftovers can be sliced and pan-fried, or steamed until soft again.
Questions and answers
How do you eat ugali?
Break off a piece with your right hand, roll it into a ball, press a dent in it with your thumb, and use it as a scoop for stew, beans or greens.
Can I make ugali with polenta?
Yes. Fine polenta or cornmeal gives a similar result. Use the same method, but expect a slightly grainier texture than with white maize flour.
How do I keep ugali from getting lumpy?
Start with a smooth slurry of flour and cold water, then add the remaining flour gradually while stirring hard. Never dump all the flour in at once.
How long does it take to make Ugali (Tanzanian Maize Porridge)?
About 25 min in total: 5 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Ugali (Tanzanian Maize Porridge)?
About 315 kcal per serving, with 7 g of protein, 67 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 315 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 67 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Sodium | 300 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
