Name: Sadza with Muriwo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Zimbabwe, East Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups white maize meal, fine; 4 cups water; 1 bunch collard greens, shredded; 2 whole tomatoes, chopped; 1 whole onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp salt; Â½ cup peanut butter

Sadza with Muriwo

Zimbabwe's national dish â€” thick maize porridge served with sauteed leafy greens in a tomato and onion base.

Country

Zimbabwe

Region

East Africa

Time

45 min

Serves

Level

easy

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Sadza is to Zimbabwe what rice is to Asia â€” the foundation of every meal. Made from finely ground white maize, it is eaten at least twice a day by most Zimbabweans. Muriwo (leafy greens) is the most common relish, and a meal of sadza nemuriwo connects every Zimbabwean to home, no matter where they are in the world.

What the dish tastes like

Zimbabwe's national dish â€” thick maize porridge served with sauteed leafy greens in a tomato and onion base.

When to cook it

Best for everyday meals, with a easy cooking level and about 45 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Use the interactive recipe fallback or country hub to explore pairings.

Follow the collection route

Vegetarian Africa is the main AfroKitchen collection route tied to this dish right now. Vegetarian Africa

Start Sadza

Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Mix a cup of maize meal with cold water to form a slurry. Pour into boiling water, stirring. Cook thin porridge for 5 minutes.

Thin porridge 05:00

Thicken Sadza

Gradually add remaining maize meal, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until very thick and smooth. Cook 5 more minutes.

The sadza is ready when it cleanly pulls away from the pot and holds its shape.

Thicken 10:00

Cook Muriwo

Heat oil in a pan. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes and cook down. Add greens and cook until wilted and tender.

For extra richness, stir a spoonful of peanut butter into the greens.

Cook greens 10:00

Shape Sadza

Wet a bowl, scoop sadza into it, and turn onto a plate to form a smooth dome.

Serve

Place sadza dome on plate with muriwo alongside. Eat by pinching off pieces of sadza and scooping up the greens.

In Shona culture, washing hands before and after eating sadza is essential etiquette.

Sadza with Muriwo

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Step-by-step instructions

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