Introduction

After living in a new city and country for two weeks, we missed eating our familiar food. The yearning set us on a quest for the flavours of home. When we asked about places to find our ethnocultural food, we were directed to a church where many Kenyans gathered on Saturdays for prayers. Though it was not our day of worship, we attended, to meet with Kenyans and ask where we could buy millet or maize /corn flour to prepare ugali. And just like that, we had directions to an ethnic store in the city. But times have changed, now you can order the millet flour here and have it delivered to your doorstep in less than 24-hours. Lucky you.

Ugali made out of millet and maize flour

Our search for flour did something else to our life as newcomers to the vast Canadian metropolis— we met with people who looked like us, spoke our national language, and they had been in Canada for long, some for over a decade. Two decades later, we are still in touch with many of the people, a sign that food, culture and social networks are interlinked.

So, whether you’re an urbanite seeking to diversify your palate with seasonal multicultural foods or a newcomer trying to weave your ethnic food into your new urban environment, this blog post is for you. Come along as I share the step-by-step process to prepare millet ugali, a traditional dish that is as rich in nutrients as it is in culture. You will also learn of my personal journey to finding and eating my ethnic food in a diverse food landscape, and bringing a piece of my heritage with me into the heart of my new city, fourteen thousand kilometers from where I was born.

Millet Ugali Recipe

In Kenya, where I was born and raised, ugali is the stable dish for many communities. Though people in the Gusii Highlands, my home area, cultivate lots of green bananas, ugali remains the undisputed meal which graces family tables at lunch and dinner time. To illustrate how important ugali was, I remember how whenever we ate a different food item like rice or chapati for dinner, mum would knock our bedroom doors in the morning, “Wake up and eat breakfast. You must be hungry.” Those words still give me a chuckle.

The nature of socialization ensures that if you are raised in a household where ugali is served twice a day, it sticks to you, literally, even when you leave the nest and cross oceans. But times change, and so do diets. Like now, those of us over forty years being advised to watch our carbs, millet ugali has become the new favorite way to help us pack fewer carbs and more nutrients.

I guess you now understand why when we landed in this unfamiliar country, we were ready to venture as far as the city bus could take us, to track down the flour that would bring a slice of home to our new world.

Different types of millet flour

Stay tuned, as I’m about to whisk you away to the art of cooking millet ugali, a dish that’s as multicultural as the cities we live in today.

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools to Cook Millet Ugali

Welcome to the cozy corner of my kitchen, where today we’re cooking some millet ugali. Here’s what you’ll need for this simple yet healthy dish:

Ingredients

• Six cups of millet flour—the amount will vary with the number of people to be served.
• Four cups of water
• I added ground flax flour for extra nutrients (optional)
• I also added Amaranth flour for to make the Ugali nutrient dense (optional)

Kitchen Tools

• A sturdy cooking pot with a lid.
• A traditional wooden cooking stick
• A dependable heat source.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Cook Millet Ugali

Step 1: Bring four cups of water to a boil, like bubbling boil.

Step 2: Add flour to the boiling water, one cup at a time, while being careful not to splash hot water on yourself. Safety first.

Step 3: Stir to mix the water and flour into a thick porridge.

Step 4: Cover the mixture, lower the heat source to half, and let it simmer for about three minutes.

Step 5: Remove the lid, being careful as the steam and hot mixture will bubble upwards.

Step 6: Add more flour and stir to mix. Keep adding a quarter of a cup of flour and stirring, mixing as the ugali thickens and becomes heavy to the hand. (Photo)

Step 7: Once all the flour is well-blended into a smooth thick paste, cover, lower the heat and let cook for about five minutes.

Step 8: Remove the cover, while expecting some vapour to rise. Mix the ugali for a minute or two, then serve into a plate.

Last Step: Plate up the steaming millet ugali, ready to serve the family.

And there you have it, health food enthusiasts—millet ugali that not only feeds the body but also nourishes the soul with a taste of multicultural heritage, right from your urban kitchen.

If you prefer to watch a video of me cooking ugali, click here to watch the video .  

Tips on Serving Ugali with other dishes

We are now at the easiest stage, eating the ugali. Being a hard dish, ugali is best eaten with a side dish of vegetables and a stew. Traditionally, people serve millet ugali mostly with indigenous vegetables such as Sagaa (Spider plant) or Amanagwa (Black Nightshade). The stew would be beef, matumbo (internal organs of goat or cow) or chicken, or fish.

As you can see, the side dishes are limitless. These days, I like to mix things up by pairing my millet ugali with a variety of companions. For example, I sometimes serve my millet ugali with maziwa lala, sour or kefir milk, or with mushrooms, sardines, or with a selection of legumes or pulses. Remember, in the world of ugali, there are no rules. Just try different side dishes until you find the one that sets your salivary glands watery.  

Troubleshooting common issues

The majority of family dinner tables are a place of laughter, stories, and the occasional culinary mishap. Looking back, I think our parents talked less at the table so they could learn what was going on in our lives. Even though we were always encouraged not to talk while eating to avoid choking, we still engaged in conversation.

There was no agenda to guide our talks, but conversations would start if one of us said something like, “Why is there flour within this ugali?” This happens with millet ugali since the flour is very refined, or with maize flour when the cook is a learner. From such a question, a family member with competent ugali skills would explain by encouraging the cook, “Next time add a little flour at a time. Adding a lot at once will make it too heavy and overwhelm your hands.”

The conversations would also focus on the ingredients for the meals on the table. For example, a conversation would start if a young child asked, “Today why are there many strings in the vegetables?” This would mostly be regarding indigenous vegetables like Saga which are mostly cooked with part of the branch or stem to maximize on the nutritional content. Again, a family member who is familiar with the specific vegetable would explain, providing details on how to harvest the vegetable to maximize its nutritional content. At other times, such a conversation would draw in the names and stories of relatives not present at the table, but who cultivate or like to eat that specific vegetable.

You now see why it was hard to stop us from talking while we ate. Sharing these little nuggets of wisdom during mealtimes, and tales of relatives who are veggie-growing wizards, helped to transfer knowledge and information of family trees to younger members of the family.

Where to find millet flour or a wooden cooking stick

I guess your next question is where to find millet flour in cities and other urban centers. When we immigrated to Canada close to two decades ago, there were few stores which sold ugali flour. I recall as late as five years ago when we used to buy 20kgs of maize flour at one go, because the few grocery stores which stocked it sometimes ran out of the flour. Ugali being our staple dish, we did not want to take a risk.

Thanks to the increase of immigrants from African countries where ugali is commonly consumed, there has been a rise in the number of stores that stock the flour. If you need the flour, check in African stores, Indian stores, and at the “Ethnic” section of some of the mega grocery stores in your city. You may also check and order the millet flour here, online. Whenever my local store runs out of the millet flour, or I need a different brand, I order mine online where there is variety.

One thing to remember is that not all millet flours are the same. Though we call the ugali as millet ugali, it is a mixture of many flours of different proportions. Millet is the key ingredient, but we add sorghum, cassava, and other flours from legumes and pulses. The ratios depend on who will consume the ugali or porridge made from millet flour.

Curious about making a millet porridge to wean babies out of breast milk, drop a line below, and I’ll share the steps to prepare a nutritious bowl of porridge.

The Nutritional and Cultural Significance of Millet Ugali

Ever wonder why people from our communities go through the maze of city streets just for a bag of millet flour? Here are some of the reasons:

• Cultural Feast: In my community, millet ugali isn’t just a dish; it’s a tradition, a must serve dish to guests. Serve it with beef stew and nyama choma (grilled meat), and you’ve got a feast to be the talk of the village or city. You earn more points if the ugali is lump-free.
• Health Watch: Over the past decade, millet has become the health hero in many African kitchens as it helps in keeping blood sugar in check, especially for those with diabetes. Switching from maize to millet is recommended as the way for those of us over 40 to lead a healthier life in decades to come. Plus, millet is gluten-free.
• Mixing It Right: The flour proportions will vary depending on the age and nutritional needs of the person to consume the food. For example, the mixture of flour for porridge to wean an infant will differ from that of a person in their forties or fifties and differ from that of an elderly person over seventy, or for someone recovering from an illness. This is where shopping online becomes a joy, I always have a wide variety in terms of proportions of millet and other flours or ingredients mixed into one for me to select from.
• Day long energy: Millet is an excellent source of energy that lasts all day. For example, ugali consumed with indigenous green vegetables and meat can provide enough energy to last an active adult for a full day.

Foods from millet flour as the principal ingredient have become a meal of choice for many affluent elderly people, and a non-prescription remedy for individuals diagnosed with dietary related ailments. So, millet ugali is more than just a meal. It’s a cultural icon, a health guardian, and an energy booster, all wrapped in one delicious plate.

Comment below or subscribe to our mailing list if you would like to learn more about the benefits of millet-based foods.

Embracing Millet Ugali in Cities

As we come to the end of this post of a culinary journey through the city streets and my kitchen, remember that my quest for millet ugali isn’t just a search for sustenance; it’s a cultural pilgrimage, a yes to my l heritage, and a testament to the adaptability of our diets even when we are in faraway cities and other urban centers.

Now it’s your turn to join the millet movement in your city’s vibrant food scene. Start by seeking millet flour in your local ethnic stores or online, and experiment with the rich, nutrient-packed grain in your cooking. Grab that wooden spoon, and let’s make our urban kitchens a place where culture thrives, and every meal is a celebration of diversity.

Since every cultural food tells a story, comment below with your stories, photos, and recipes, and become part of a community that’s as diverse as the cities we live in.

If you prefer a video, click to watch it here

Note:

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All photos taken by @EKO