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Loading...Ugandan Maize Meal, locally called Posho, is the everyday starch backbone of Ugandan plates. This dense, neutral cornmeal dough is eaten with the fingers and used to scoop rich stews like groundnut sauce or bean stew. It is filling, inexpensive, and ties the whole meal together.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time25 mins
Servings4
Yield4 servings
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 215 kcalCalories
- 1 gFat
- 0 gSaturated Fat
- 46 gCarbs
- 3 gFiber
- 0 gSugar
- 5 gProtein
- 5 mgSodium
- 165 mgPotassium
- 12 mgCalcium
- 2 mgIron
- 0 mgVitamin C
- 0 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the maize meal
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups fine white maize flour (cornmeal)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Directions
- Pour the water into a heavy-bottomed pot, add the salt if using, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and gradually sprinkle about one-third of the maize flour into the water, stirring constantly with a sturdy wooden spoon so no lumps form.
- Keep stirring in one direction for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens into a smooth, pourable paste; this base helps the rest of the flour absorb evenly.
- Sprinkle in the remaining maize flour a small handful at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition so the flour incorporates fully before more is added.
- Once all the flour is in, press and fold the dough against the sides of the pot with the back of the spoon for 8 to 10 minutes, working out any lumps until the dough pulls cleanly away from the pot and holds its shape when pressed.
- Drop the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot, and let the maize meal steam in its own heat for 3 to 4 minutes so the very center cooks through.
- Wet your hands with cool water, scoop a fist-sized portion of the hot maize meal, and shape it into a smooth round mound on a serving plate or wooden board; repeat with the remaining dough.
- Serve immediately alongside a stew or sauce, with each person pinching off a small piece and using it to scoop up the accompaniment.
Cook’s Notes
- A long wooden cooking spoon (called a mwiko in Luganda) is traditional and gives a better grip than metal for the long stirring process.
- Always serve Ugandan Maize Meal hot; once it cools it firms up too much and loses its soft pull-apart texture.
- Classic pairings include groundnut stew, bean stew (kalo), sukuma wiki (collard greens), and any saucy meat or fish dish.
- If fine white maize flour is hard to find, medium-ground cornmeal works, but avoid degermed yellow cornmeal which gives a gritty, dry result.
- To eat, pinch off a small piece with the right hand, roll it between your fingers into a ball, press an indentation with the thumb, and use it like a scoop.
