UGALI

Recently, I met a lady online, she happens to be from Kenya. Got talking about culture, food and the country in general. I love learning new things especially cooking new meals. I found out that just as Eba(Ẹbà is staple food eaten in West African sub-region and beyond. It is made from dried grated cassava flour, commonly known as garri).
DEFINITION OF EBA

Ugali, Pronounced oo-ga-ly is the staple starch component of many meals in Kenya. In fact, it is a staple food in many different African regions like Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Ugali is a dish made of maize flour (cornmeal), or sorghum flour (sometimes mixed with cassava flour) cooked in boiling liquid (water or milk) and served with salad. The traditional method of eating ugali (and the most common in the rural areas) is to roll a lump into a ball with the right hand, and then dip it into a sauce or stew of vegetables or meat. So I kind of thought of it like Eba. Although Eba is quite different since it's only taken with soup in Nigeria and unlike Eba, left over Ugali can also be taken with tea in the morning. Though different, they (ugali and Eba) have some similarities. They ( ugali & Eba) is relatively inexpensive and thus easily accessible to the poor, who usually combine it with a vegetable stew and meat(ugali) and various kind of soup(Eba) and will fill you up for hours. They are both Easy to make and the can last in considerable time in average conditions

Eba and vegetables soup Image source

Egusi soup and Eba with fish Image source

Ugali and collard greens Image source

ugali and vegetable egg sauce Image source

HOW TO PREPARE UGALI

Ingredients

1 cup (or more) corn flour or maize flour

3 cups of boiling water

1 cup of cold water

Directions

1.Heat water to boiling in a saucepan.

2.Slowly pour the corn flour into boiling water. Avoid forming lumps

3.Stir continuously and mash any lumps that do form.

1. Add more corn flour until it thick
   

5.Cook for three or four minutes, continue to stir. (Continuing to stir as the ugali thickens is the secret to success, i.e., lump-free ugali.)

6.Turn the cooked ugali onto a serving plate as one large mound.

EATING UGALI

To eat it, you first want to roll a small piece into a ball, about the size of a golf ball or smaller. Then make an indentation in the middle of it with your thumb.You can then use this indentation to scoop up other foods served in the meal.

IMAGES IN THE DIRECTION ARE CREDITED TO WIKIHOW