UGALI CROUTONS

Ever wondered what to do with left over Ugali, well, why not make croutons out of them? For your salads and soups!

UGALI STUFFED ENERGY BALLS

Christmas is just around the corner and I cannot believe it! Okay enough excitement. Today's recipe is something I have been playing with in my head . I cant believe it actually turned out so great. Kenyans do love their Ugali so I kept thinking how I can make it into a savory sort of snack but still mantaining its authenticity.

HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT UGALI

How's the weekend coming along? Today I will show you how to make Ugali. Ugali  is a dish made of maize flour (cornmeal), millet flour, or Sorghum flour (sometimes mixed with cassava flour) cooked in boiling liquid (water or Milk) to a stiff or firm but smooth mass. It is the most common staple starch featured in the local cuisines of the African Great Lakes region and Southern Africa. When ugali is made from another starch, it is usually given a specific regional name especially from that community.  For instance in the luhya community in Kenya Ugali is known as Obhusuma. In Kenya Ugali (Cornmeal) is a staple dish that features in Kenyan homes. In our house we literally eat Ugali every other day, three days cannot pass without us eating this meal. Since there are so many Stews and Soups that you can eat with Ugali, eating it two days in a row will not bother you since each day you eat it with something different.To make the perfect Ugali, all you need to have is patience and knowing when to stop adding flour so that the Ugali is not crumbly or has flour lumps when done cooking. You also have to add enough Flour so that the Ugali does not remain at the porridge like consistency when you are through. Just like everything else, practice makes perfect. The only way you can perfect making Ugali is to keep at it until you are flawless at it.  The best way to eat Ugali is to pinch a small bit off with your fingers, roll it into a small ball, use your thumb to make a small indent /depression in the middle for scooping up some stew.I made some Ugali Fries that you can try. Omena is one of the stews that you can eat your Ugali with. These tomato Eggs or onion Eggs also go great with Ugali, just add Sukuma Wiki (Collard Greens) and you have a yummy Ugali meal. Now, let's begin cooking! I'm social too on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest

THE PERFECT SPICY UGALI FRIES

I am totally excited about today's recipe. First I never thought that there would come a time that a Kenyan staple like Ugali would be upgraded in such a way that can make even those that loathe it actually want to eat it. Apparently Ugali in English is translated as "a type of stiff porridge made by mixing Cornmeal with boiling water and heated until it turns into a dense block of Cornmeal paste - Cornmeal mush." Now I imagine someone ordering "Cornmeal Mush" at a Restaurant. Anyway so I always want to try out new ways of cooking and even presenting my meals. The one thing that has always been a staple in our family and indeed all Kenyan households has been Ugali. We literally eat it every other day if not everyday. It's usually accompanied by Vegetables and Meats, Fish, Pork or even Chicken. So it didn't seem like a bad idea to try and transform this staple food into something different.I knew the only way I could do that is to either bake it or fry it. Baking, yeah, not likely, frying it is then! This recipe is something that you can do especially since we are always having left over Ugali and we usually just warm it up and eat the next day. So if you find yourself with some left over Ugali why not make Ugali Fries out of it, plus if your kids or any family member does not care for Ugali, this is a new way to convince them to eat. Whether you call it Sima, Sembe, Dona, Obokima, Arega, Ngima, Obusuma, Posho or Polenta as Italians call it, Ugali does not have to be boring, spice it up, fry it up, make it deliciously yours. Follow me on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest