Ugali (Corn Fufu) – Experience African comfort food at home with this nutrient-packed cornmeal porridge. Enjoy an easy, soft, delightful, filling side dish with only three ingredients! This ugali recipe is the perfect cornmeal side dish for greens, stews, and proteins.
Delicious, filling corn meal side dishes are a staple food in restaurants and homes around the continent. All come under different aliases. Most notable are fufu corn (West Africa), couscous de maize (in French-speaking African countries), ugali (Kenya), nshima (Zambia), nsima (Malawi), and mielie pap in South Africa.
What Is Ugali?
Ugali is a thick porridge made from white maize meal cooked in water or milk until it becomes a thick dough. A piece of ugali serves as a spoon. Make a dent in the middle (swallow), and spoon a bite of draw soup (ogbono and okra soup are two examples).
This bland side dish is delightful with greens, stews, or protein. And it doesn’t overpower your delicious stew.
Recipe Ingredients
I’ve even eaten corn fufu at a friend’s place made with Jiffy cornbread mix, which I enjoyed. I’m not going to lie; sometimes, I use the Jiffy mix when cooking for one. I can just hear fufu purists shouting out HERESY! But, hey, use what you have available.
- Water: I don’t usually list water as an ingredient, but it’s essential for cooking the cornmeal. And you’ll need a pinch of salt.
- Cornmeal: Perfectly ground maize corn is readily available in Africa, but it’s another ball game abroad. Look for finely ground white cornmeal or yellow cornmeal. Corn flour or maize flour should also be available at ethnic grocery stores.
How to Make Ugali (Corn Fufu)
- Boil – Add about 4 cups of water to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, remove a cup of water, and set aside. (Photo 1)
- Add Cornmeal – Stir in the cornmeal a little at a time with a wooden spoon until it’s all in the pot. Keep stirring to prevent lumps. To avoid burning, you may have to take the saucepan off the heat while removing lumps. (Photos 2-3)
- Reduce heat and cook on low until the mixture thickens. (Photo 4)
- Final Stretch – Add the remaining boiled water, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add some more water if it looks like it needs it. Turn off the heat.
- Serve – Scoop out balls of the ugali mixture with a small bowl. Roll it into a ball by rolling it around the bowl. Or shape it by wrapping it in a plastic wrap. (Photos 5-8)
Note: Several have told me that wrapping it in plastic isn’t healthy. It’s up to you.
Recipe Variations
- Cornmeal swap. Millet, sorghum, cassava, and green plantains all make great fufu.
- Butter. Add a tablespoon of butter to your fufu corn to make it rich and creamy. Yum!
- Milk. Substitute the water with milk for a softer ugali. Children and older people enjoy this version because it’s easier to swallow.
Tips and Tricks
- Stir constantly to get a smooth paste.
- The cornmeal should cook for about 15 minutes to remove the raw taste.
- Cornmeal thickens as it cools. So add more water for a softer ugali.
- Don’t stop stirring for lump-free ugali.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make ugali ahead, though I prefer it fresh. But sometimes we need to save time for later. If I make it for later, I make smaller servings. You can keep them in the fridge for a day or two or the freezer for a few months.
Heat the largest skillet or pan you have over low heat. Add the ugali in a single layer and add enough water to steam it for 15 minutes without burning. I also like to add a little oil to slightly toast the ugali.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Keep leftover ugali well-wrapped so they don’t dry out. It should last up to a week, the same as cornmeal porridge. Or freeze it for a couple of months. Reheat covered in a skillet on low with a little water for about 15 minutes to heat through.
What to Serve With Ugali?
Enjoy eating ugali, also called a swallow, with a soup called a draw. Pair it with African collard greens (sukuma wiki) or Okro Soup. Njama Njama and Ogbono Soup are also delicious.
More Tasty African Recipes to Try
- Peri-Peri Chicken
- Bobotie
- Plantain Fritters
- Irio (Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe with Peas and Corn)
- African American Cornbread Dressing
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in January 2015 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Ugali (Corn Fufu)
Ingredients
- 4 cups (945ml) water or more
- ½-1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (300g) fine cornmeal
Instructions
- Add about 4 cups of water and ½ teaspoon of salt to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove about a cup of water and set aside.
- Gradually whisk in the cornmeal until you have added all of it to the pot, and keep stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps. You may have to take the saucepan off the heat while getting rid of lumps and preventing burns.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens.
- Then add the remaining boiled water, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or more. You might need to add some more water for the desired consistency. Turn off the heat.
- Scoop out balls with a small bowl – shake and form a ball by rolling around a bowl. Or place it on a saran wrap.Note: I've been told several times that using plastic wrap isn't healthy, so be mindful of it.
Tips & Notes:
- It requires some elbow grease and constant stirring to get a smooth paste.
- Be mindful that cornmeal hardens as it cools down. So, if you want a softer ugali, add more water.
- Unlike other fufu, cornmeal must be cooked for about 15 minutes to eliminate the raw taste.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Mike says
I made this alongside Sukuma, it was fantastic.
Imma says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Mike!
Rachel S-L says
Do you use white or yellow cornmeal
Imma says
I’m not picky. Whatever I have on hand. Yellow cornmeal has more flavor, but white cornmeal may look better. It depends on what you like best.
Edith says
Luv this recipe
Imma says
You are so sweet, thank you!
Sunshine Lin says
I followed the recipe and stiering in the cornmeal was challenging before it startes to pop…use my small canning pot probably needed a longer wooden spoon..lol. Didnt use saran but it didnt know how long to let it cool down before forming balls. Will get feedback from potluck…wish me luck
Imma says
Thank you for trying this, sure it will turn out well. Share with me about your experience:)
Mario says
This is soooooooo good!
I have made prawns in XO sauce and didn’t want it with noodle or rice, so I wanted the UGALI! Damn how good is that,combined with the juiciness of the sauce is just so good! Great recipe and super easy to make.
Immaculate Bites says
Woohoo! Thanks so much, Mario! Now don’t forget to make some Decadent Coffee and Desserts To Make Your Day 😉
Malefu Mumba says
Hi Imma Ugali Fufu in SA it is our daily meal we use white mealie meal or brown mealie meal , we even make soft porridge with both mealie meal. but it looks exactly the same and maybe the tastes are different .
Thanks so very much for the recipes my dear and keep sending Imma.
Best wishes and lots of Love
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you for dropping by, Malefu!
Peter says
Appreciating the persistence you put into your site and detailed
information you provide. It’s awesome to come across a
blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed material.
Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google
account.
ImmaculateBites says
Aww. Thanks Peter.
El says
Can I use corn flour to get similar? Or it has to be maize meal
ImmaculateBites says
Hi El! Corn flour will work just fine. Do let me know when you try it out.
Kike Enrique says
I tried a different recipe but same ingredients and it seemed to get gooey-like, as in not white, it sorta looked like snot. Was that due to too much water and not enough cornflour/ maize flour? And also I can’t seem to get rid of small flour balls which just don’t seem to break is there a way to pre-emptively inhibit these balls forming? Cheers
Kike Enrique says
What I do already like is that you have specific measurements to use which I can’t seem to find on any youtube videos. Usually they just say “use this much but if you need more add more” and me having no knowledge on this has no idea what to do thus leading to 2 failed attempts so far
ImmaculateBites says
I am so sorry you are having trouble with your Ugali. Just follow the recipe as is and you should be alright. Getting rid of the flour balls or lumps would require a bit of an arm workout, I am afraid. You may need to take it off the stove and give it a good stirring and smashing to get really nice smooth Ugali. Take note that the Ugali hardens as it cools down, so if you want really soft Ugali, you would have to add a little more water. Good luck on the next attempt and do let me know how it turns out!
Suzanne says
Don’t use corn flour, use corn MEAL.
Catherine says
Please get a you tube chanel and show people step by step. I tried it and it’s delicious
Imma says
I’m so glad you liked it:) I do have a YouTube channel with the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7pPfDSLbAw
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Libby K says
I’mma preemptively rate this 5 stars because it looks legit and I can’t wait to make it tomorrow! Question: How do you store this? Can it keep in the fridge without hardening? I don’t remember ever eating reheated ugali growing up, so I’m concerned it’s a one day only thing.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Libby, I usually store in the fridge and reheat the next day.Add about 1/3 cup more water while cooking since it hardens up the next day.
Hope this isn’t too late.
RWilson says
I just made simple okra. I took approximately 10 okra pods cut off the head and the tail put them in hot boiling water where I had already added some salt. I boiled it until the pods started to fall apart. Then I took them out of the water and added butter and a little vinegar. My friend told me that I could have added lemon or lime juice as well. I also added some hot sauce. The next time I will use probably some cayenne pepper. OMG! So delicious. Now I know when I make this Fufu and make this plain okra dish I will be in heaven.
Incidentally the land masses used to be connected and corn probably did come from the motherland. I thank you my friend Lucilda from Panama and her grandmother was from Barbados who used to make an okra and cornmeal dish.
imma africanbites says
Fufu and okra always pairs well. Might have to try your okra dish one of these days. Thank you for dropping by.
Leslie says
Is this dish served hot (assumed since greens would be hot)? And can you make it ahead of time?
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Leslie. Ugali Fufu is best eaten warm. You do not want to burn your mouth with hot fufu :)! You can definitely make this ahead of time. Just heat it up when you are ready to serve or keep it warm in a food flask if you have one.
Linda says
In the southeast US this would be called grits or in Italy polenta. It is definitely yummy.
Kemsonj says
So on my first trip to Dar es Salaam I looked at ugali and thought, “meh, cassava fufu” Then I tasted it and shouted, “Grits! These are grits! We eat these in the South and initially, enslaved people ate them.” Imagine that?