Ugali

Pour 1000 ml water into a deep pot and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, ladle out 120 ml of the hot water into a cup and keep it nearby.

Add 500 g white cornmeal in small portions, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in circular motions to prevent lumps from forming.

Once all the cornmeal is in the pot, keep stirring over low heat for about 5 more minutes, until the mixture turns thick, smooth and dough-like.

Make a few wells in the surface of the ugali with the spoon, pour in the reserved 120 ml of hot water, cover with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes.

Uncover the pot and vigorously stir the ugali for 2–3 minutes, pressing the mixture against the sides, until it starts pulling away easily from the bottom, loses any graininess, and the corn aroma becomes pronounced.

Wet the wooden spoon with water, shape the ugali into a smooth ball or oval mound, remove the pot from the heat and turn the mixture out onto a plate.

Serve the ugali hot, pinching off a piece by hand and shaping it into a small scoop to pick up sukuma wiki, another vegetable stew, soup, sauce, meat or fish.