Zimbabwean recipe
How to make Sadza
sadza (Shona), isitshwala (Ndebele)
All of Zimbabwe
The heart of almost every meal: a stiff porridge of finely ground white maize meal cooked with water until it holds its shape. It is served in smooth mounds with a relish of stew, greens or beans. People pinch off a piece with the right hand, roll it into a ball, press a hollow into it with the thumb and use it to scoop up the relish.
Ingredients
- About 750 ml water for boiling
- About 250 ml cold water
- About 400 g fine white maize meal (mealie meal)
Method
- Bring the 750 ml of water to the boil in a heavy pot. Mix a cup of the maize meal with the cold water to a smooth paste.
- Stir the paste into the boiling water and keep stirring until it thickens into a thin porridge. Cover and let it bubble gently for about 10 minutes.
- Add the rest of the maize meal a little at a time, beating hard with a strong wooden spoon, until the sadza is very thick, smooth and comes away from the sides of the pot. Take care, as the thick porridge can spit.
- Cover and cook on a low heat for 5 more minutes. Shape into mounds with a wet serving spoon and serve at once with a stew or greens.
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Sadza can also be made from sorghum or finger millet, the grains that were eaten here before maize arrived from the Americas.
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