Sadza,Pap,Nsima, polenta/turned cornmeal

Sadza in Shona (isitshwala in isiNdebele, pap in South Africa, or nsima in the Chichewa language of Malawi) is a cooked corn meal that is the staple food in Zimbabwe and other parts of southern and eastern Africa. This food is cooked widely in other countries of the region.Sadza in appearance is a thickened porridge. A thinner form of sadza, "porridge", is cooked with peanut butter or margarine and eaten in the mornings occasionally. The most common form of sadza is made with white maize (Mealie-Meal). This maize meal is referred to as hupfu in Shona or impuphu in Ndebele. 


Other names inlcude polenta and turned cornmeal - although both of these are seasoned

You will need the following 


500g white maize meal
1.5 ltrs boiling water
Flat wide wooden spoon

Boil a full kettle. 
Put 1 cup of mealie meal in medium size bowl and mix with cold water until it is a watery-smooth paste with no lumps.
Add this mixture to a medium to large pot and add boiling water to the paste at least 3/4 pot full with water.
Stir the mixture quickly ensuring no lumps are formed,  continue to stir until your mixture starts to thicken to a porridge consistency. 
Put lid on pot and let boil for 5-10 minutes. 
Begin adding mealie meal 1 cup at a time whilst vigorously mixing the porridge with a wooden spoon after each addition. 
Continue adding mealie meal until mixture begins to thicken and will fall away from spoon. 
Stir hard and continuously so there are no lumps.
Close your pot and allow to steam on a low heat for about 5 minutes, you will notice the top of the Sadza will have a shine to it, at this stage it is ready to serve


Serve with Stew. (see African Stew recipe)