Ugali

Ugali is a firm cooked maize preparation and a staple in Kenyan meals. The source serves it alongside African Spinach or vegetable, bean, and lentil curries.

The flour is whisked gradually into boiling salted water to avoid lumps. As it cooks, the mixture thickens until it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pot.

A short rest before serving lets the texture settle. White maize flour is the traditional choice, though the source allows grits, sorghum, or yellow cornmeal as substitutes.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste, optional
• 2 cups white maize flour, or grits, sorghum, or yellow cornmeal

Method

Bring the water and optional salt to a boil in a pot over high heat. Add the maize flour 1 tablespoon at a time while whisking constantly so no lumps form. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture becomes thick and pulls away from the sides of the pot, about 5–6 minutes. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, remove from the heat, rest for another minute, and serve. Makes 4 servings.