Sadza is the Zimbabwean version of a food that is a staple in southern and east Africa. It is the equivalent of ugali in Kenya, nsima in Malawi and bogobe in Botswana. Various types of meal can be used to make sadza. Among these are: maize (corn) meal, sorghum meal and ground rice. Maize meal seems to be the most popular of these.
Sadza Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 2-3 cups maize or millet or sorghum or rice meal (more or less, depending on the consistency required)
Method
- Boil 3 cups of water.
- In a saucepan, make a paste using some of the meal with a cup of cold water. Add the hot water.
- Place on medium high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens, like porridge. Watch carefully to avoid 'sadza burns' when it starts boiling.
- Cover the saucepan and simmer for some time - about 15 minutes. Lower the heat a little to prevent burning at the bottom. It should not boil too vigorously. If the water/meal mixture is just right, the sadza will boil without spilling over. However if it is too thin it might spill over, especially when the saucepan lid is on. Keep an eye on it.
- Remove the lid and gradually add meal, stirring all the and flattening any lumps that may form. All the meal should mix into the porridge. The water and meal are well-blended in good sadza which has a bit of shine and elasticity.
- Continue to add and stir until the sadza thickens to required consistency - some people prefer it thin, others prefer it thicker. When you do not know the people's taste, leave it a medium thickness. At this point the sadza requires strong stirring, especially if making large quantities.
- Reduce the heat to very low. Cover and leave for a few minutes to allow further cooking.
- Stir the sadza once again before dishing with a wet curved wooden spoon. Sadza can be served with vegetables, meat, poultry, fish or soured milk.
Sadza Utensils
Being Zimbabwe's staple food, a few utensils have been developed that are used in the preparation and serving of sadza. The three most important are given below.
Mugoti: a flat wooden spoon made from a hardwood that does not fray or splinter. Can be found in various sizes.
Musika: a wooden whisk used when a thin porridge is being made, especially by putting meal directly into boiled water without making a paste first. It is also useful for removing lumps when many form from the paste at the beginning.
Mugwaku: a special curved spoon used to dish out the sadza into a serving plate. It is wetted first to prevent the sadza sticking to it.
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