Ugali and sukuma wiki
Ugali na sukuma wiki
Firm maize porridge and greens sautéed with onion — Kenya's everyday plate, not a tourist stew.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Ugali na sukuma wiki.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Ugali is maize meal cooked with water until it pulls from the pot in a stiff cake you tear with your fingers. Sukuma wiki is kale or collards fried with onion and tomato — the name means 'stretch the week'. Together they are the Kenyan (and wider East African) daily plate. Nyama choma on a good day. This is the Tuesday. Rain maize meal into boiling salted water and stir hard until it thickens and pulls from the pot in a stiff cake. It should hold a piece you tear with your fingers, not a porridge. Sukuma wiki is kale or collards wilted with onion and tomato, maybe a little oil and leftover meat stock. Cook the greens until they are soft and savoury. Serve them together. Nyama choma is for a better day; this pairing is the weekday plate.
Ingredients
- Corn, fine white maize meal / ugali flour300 g
- Collard greens, or kale, shredded400 g
- Onion1 medium
- Tomato2 medium
- Garlic (optional)2 clove
- Neutral oil44 ml
- Salt7.4 ml
- Water800 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Boil salted water. Rain in maize meal, stirring hard, 8–10 minutes until it pulls from the sides in a stiff mass. Shape into a cake.
12 minTip: A wooden spoon and conviction. Lumps get beaten out.
Step 2
Soften onion in oil, add tomato and garlic, then greens and salt. Cook until just wilted but still green, 8 minutes.
12 minStep 3
Tear ugali, scoop greens. A fried egg or leftover meat if the week allows.
2 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Maize meal → Fine polenta
Softer, yellower. Still a stiff porridge.
Tips
- White maize meal is the Kenyan texture. Polenta is a cousin, not the same grind.
- Sukuma likes a little leftover meat fat if you have it.
History & culture
The staple across Kenya and neighbours, with local names (posho, sadza, nsima). Eat with your right hand. The ugali is the utensil. The staple across Kenya and neighbours, with local names — posho, sadza, nsima — and local maize textures. Eat with your right hand; the ugali is the utensil. Sukuma wiki means stretch the week: greens as the affordable half of the plate. It is not a restaurant tasting of maize. It is lunch.
Maize is New World; it became the East African staple. Sukuma wiki is urban Kenyan vegetable thrift. Maize is a New World crop that became the East African staple after it spread through African farming, replacing or sitting beside older millet and sorghum porridges. That is crop history, not a gift narrative. Sukuma wiki is urban Kenyan vegetable thrift with a Swahili name. The pair is daily food, not a colonial exhibit.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Ugali and sukuma wiki take?
35 min all in — 10 min prep, 25 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Maize meal → Fine polenta. Softer, yellower. Still a stiff porridge.
Any tips from this recipe?
White maize meal is the Kenyan texture. Polenta is a cousin, not the same grind. Sukuma likes a little leftover meat fat if you have it.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Sukuma likes a little leftover meat fat if you have it. Tear ugali, scoop greens. A fried egg or leftover meat if the week allows.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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