Home » How to make plain Sadza
Sadza is ready!

How to make plain Sadza

Written by Published on in HowTos, Sadza, Starches, Traditional
4 Servings ~ 25
  • 7 scoops mealie-meal
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 750 ml boiling water

Sadza is our most common food here in Zimbabwe. Not surprisingly so as it is our staple food! Every household partakes of sadza nenyama nemuriwo (pap, meat and leafy vegetables) almost every day, be it supper or lunch. It is also one of the first foods that babies are given, usually at 6 months (some do it even earlier).

I was taught how to make sadza when I was 11 years old and haven’t forgotten since. I know other people have a different approach on making this but this is how I was taught and it still comes out just as fine! So I hope this recipe with the pictorial instructions that follow will help someone, both young and old.

Do This

  1. Put mealie-meal in pot. Add cold water to make a paste. Put pot on stove and add boiling water whilst stirring simultaneously.
  2. Keep stirring until rakukwata (it’s boiling). Cover pot, reduce heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. After 15 minutes, add more mealie-meal bit by bit and as we say it in our vernacular, mona sadza (mix). Be sure to do it well. When it’s just about to reach the consistency you want, cover it rishinyire (loosely translated- let is simmer) for 5 minutes. Your sadza is ready. Serve with your preferred relish.
Also see  Quick and easy breakfast Chipalata sausage

Pictorial Detailed Instructions

Step 1 - Click to enlarge
Put mealie-meal in pot (a). Add cold water (b) to make a paste (c). Put pot on stove and add boiling water whilst stirring simultaneously to avoid getting lumps (d).

Step 2 - Click to enlarge
Keep stirring until rakukwata (it’s boiling) (b). Cover pot, reduce heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes (c). (This is highly dependant on the type of mealie-meal you’re using. In this case I was using super refined mealie-meal so it will take less time. If you’re using mugaiwa (unrefined mealie-meal) it will need more time to cook.

Step 3 - Click to enlarge
After 15 minutes, add more mealie-meal bit by bit (a) and as we say it in our vernacular, mona sadza (mix) (b). Be sure to do it well, again to avoid lumps. When it’s just about to reach the consistency you want ((c), cover it rishinyire (loosely translated- let is simmer) for 5 minutes. Your sadza is ready. Serve with your preferred relish.

Sadza is ready!
Sadza is ready!

That’s it. Keep in touch for daily recipe updates by liking us on ZimboKitchen Facebook. You may also leave a comment below. Thanks! P/s if you would like to make mince neMuriwo as shown above see this recipe on Fried steak mince neMuriwo.