Ugali beef, or as we generally call it, “ugali nyama” when any meat will do, is a legendary duo. The magic happens when that soup is thick—seriously, it’s greatness on a plate. Now, this recipe doesn’t mess around with a laundry list of ingredients. I get it; nobody wants to raid a spice market just to make dinner. Here, we’re keeping it simple—one, maybe two spices tops—and trust me, the flavor is all there.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I like Ugali, but I’m not on the daily train. Once a week is my sweet spot—keeps things fresh. The real issue, at least for me, is the frequency. Most Kenyans are downing Ugali every day, for their entire lives but hey, it’s a national treasure for a reason.
That’s why it made the cut for the top 5 most-loved Kenyan dishes. Only the cool kids will disagree.
Also Read: The 5 Most Loved (Best) Kenyan Foods
For this round, I opted for whole-grain maize flour—tastes better and packs more nutrition. The beef stew? Slow-cooked to perfection, tender, and practically falling off the bone, with a broth that’s thick and silky.
But if you’re not into slow cooking, no worries, you can still ride along. Enough yapping—let’s get to the good stuff.
Ingredients
For Ugali
- 1 Cup Maize Flour
- 1 Cup Water
For Beef Stew
- 500g Beef Cubed
- 2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
- 1 Medium Onion
- 2 Medium Tomatoes
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Thumb Ginger
- 1 Bunch Coriander( Cilantro) / Dhania
- 1 Tsp Curry Powder or Garam Masala
- 1 Beef Cube
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder (OPTIONAL)
- Salt
- 3 Cups Water
When it comes to making ugali, it doesn’t get simpler than this—just one ingredient, two if you count water. The secret to good ugali? Good flour. Lucky for you, I’ve got a whole post on the best flour brands for the perfect ugali so you know what to pick and what to avoid.
Read: Grocery Guide: The 10 Popular Maize Flour Brands in Kenya: Worst to Best
Now, the brands I mentioned there are sifted and processed to the max. But if you’re leaning toward the healthier, whole-grain side of life, Nutrigo by Soko is your go-to. It’s the only brand offering whole-grain maize meal right now, and it’s exactly what I used for this recipe.
For top-notch beef, make sure your butcher sticks to one cut from the same part of the animal. If they toss in random scraps, you’ll end up with uneven cooking—some pieces will be overdone while others are barely there.
Or, if you want to play it safe, grab a specific cut from the supermarket butchery for consistent results. (Just make sure your beef has some bones in it for the authentic taste, boneless and steaks won’t do the trick here)
While you’re at the supermarket, don’t forget the beef cube. I’m a big fan of Knorr’s beef chili cubes—they’re seriously the best. Not into chili? No worries, they’ve got a non-chili version. And if Knorr’s not in stock, Royco or Maggi cubes will do the trick.
As for spices, you’ve got options—curry powder or garam masala. Both are blends of different spices, and you can’t go wrong with either.
If you’re looking for more recommendations on the best spice brands, including the cubes, check out my comprehensive post on Kenyan Kitchen Spice essentials.
Read: Spice Essentials For Your Kenyan Kitchen: A Comprehensive Guide
Procedure
Boiling the Meat
Start by getting your meat boiling until it’s tender and practically cooked through. But before you even think about washing that meat—don’t. Just toss it straight into your pot, add 3 cups of water, add some salt, and let it cook.
If you’re on the stovetop, you’re looking at about 40 to 50 minutes. With a pressure cooker, it’s just 20 minutes—a lifesaver in these situations.
Read: The Best Electric Pressure Cookers in Kenya
Preparing the Aromatics
While the meat’s doing its thing, get your aromatics ready. Chop some onions, whip up a ginger-garlic paste using a blender (or a mortar and pestle if you’re old school), dice the tomatoes, and chop up the coriander (cilantro) stems—keep them separate from the leaves. If you’re adding bell peppers or chilies, now’s the time to prep those too.
Cooking the Base
Once your meat is done, start by cooking the onions until they’re translucent with oil, then add the ginger-garlic paste and cook until fragrant. Toss in everything else except the coriander leaves—the stems go in now.
Add some salt to help the tomatoes break down quicker, cover the pot, and let the moisture do the work.
Adding Spices and Beef
When the tomatoes are cooked down and jammy, add your beef cube and whichever spice you’re using—either garam masala or curry powder, but not both. They’ll overpower the dish if you mix them.
Stir it all in, then add the cooked beef, but hold off on the broth for now. Let those jammy tomatoes thicken the stew until it’s almost dry.
Simmering the Stew
Next, pour in the leftover broth, just enough to cover the beef. If you’re on the stovetop, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer until the meat is soft—this will take around 30 minutes.
If the dish starts drying out before it’s done, just add more water. But that shouldn’t be an issue if you’ve got the pot covered and nothing’s escaping.
If you have a pressure cooker, you can switch to the slow cooker function at this point for a more delicate stew. It takes longer—between 1.5 to 2 hours—but it’s worth it for the tenderness.
Garnishing the Stew
Once your beef stew is ready turn off the heat, and garnish it with the coriander leaves you set aside earlier. I’m a big fan of spring onions, so I throw in some of those leaves as well. Cover the stew and let the garnish work its aromatic magic using residual heat.
Cooking the Ugali
While the stew’s finishing up, it’s time to get the ugali going. Boil some water, then add 1/4 of your flour mix and let it bubble. Once that’s done, add the rest of the flour, and start mixing and pounding until it firms up like dough. This was the quick version, so if you want a step-by-step guide to making ugali, check out the recipe linked below.
Read: Ugali Recipe & Guide: Step-by-Step Guide (For Beginners)
Also Read: Recipe: Ugali Kisiagi (Wholegrain)
Ugali Beef Stew
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker/ Slow Cooker optional
- 1 Blender/ Food Processor optional
- 1 Mortar and Pestle optional
Ingredients
- 500 g Beef Cubed
- 1 Medium Onion
- 2 Medium Tomatoes
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Thumb Ginger
- 1 Bunch Coriander Cilantro / Dhania
- 1 Tsp Curry Powder or Garam Masala
- 1 Beef Cube
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder OPTIONAL
- Salt
- 3 Cups Water
For Ugali
- 1 Cup Maize Flour
- 1 Cup Water
Instructions
- Add unwashed meat to a pot with 3 cups of water, salt it, and boil until tender (40-50 minutes on stovetop, 20 minutes pressure cooker).
- Chop onions, make ginger-garlic paste, dice tomatoes, and chop coriander stems, separating them from the leaves.
- Sauté onions until translucent, add ginger-garlic paste, then add all other ingredients except coriander leaves and cook until the tomatoes break down.
- Stir in your chosen spice (garam masala or curry powder) and beef cube, then add cooked beef without the broth.
- Pour in broth to cover the beef, simmer covered on medium heat for 30 minutes, or use a slow cooker for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and optional spring onion leaves, then cover to let the flavors meld.
- For Ugali, boil water, add half the flour and let it bubble, then add the rest and mix until firm like dough.
Notes
- Add salt to the boiling beef to flavor it internally, but be cautious not to add too much salt to avoid ruining the dish.
- Salt the tomatoes while cooking to help them develop their flavor.
- Cook ugali last so it doesn’t get cold.
- Adjust the stew thickness to your desired consistency.
- When the beef is done, it should fall off the bone.
- Garnishing is optional.
- If you don’t have a blender or a mortar and pestle, finely dice your garlic and ginger.
- Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it can make the dish bitter and burns easily.
- You can optionally add greens to the dish for a perfectly balanced diet.
- Be mindful of salt, as beef cubes are extremely salty, its better to add more salt later tan oversalting your dish
- Use neutral cooking oils for authenticity, in Kenya we use vegetable oil, using flavored oils like olive will change the taste
Serving
Serve this masterpiece on a single plate, with ugali proudly positioned at the center. Surround it with your beef stew, using the excess stew to drizzle generously over the ugali.
This not only makes the dish look more appetizing but also ensures that every bite of ugali is infused with rich stew goodness—no extra effort required!
For a touch of balance, consider adding some greens, like collard greens (sukuma wiki). If that’s not your thing, whip up a kachumbari salad by dicing one onion, two tomatoes, and some coriander leaves thinly.
Also Read: Basic Sukuma Wiki Recipe (No Tomatoes)
Toss in a chili or two if you like things spicy. Add a squeeze of lemon juice or vinegar if you want to tone down that raw onion flavor. Mix everything together and serve it up… greatness tupu!
Traditionally, this dish is eaten with your hands—because, well, it’s ugali. If you’re not into the messiness, feel free to use a fork and spoon: the spoon for spading up the ugali, and the fork for spearing those beef pieces.
Nutritional Information: Ugali Beef Stew
Ingredients and Calories
- Maize Flour (1 Cup): ~440 calories
- Beef (500g): ~1200 calories
- Onion (1 Medium): ~45 calories
- Tomatoes (2 Medium): ~44 calories
- Garlic (5 Cloves): ~23 calories
- Ginger (1 Thumb): ~10 calories
- Coriander (1 Bunch): ~23 calories
- Curry Powder or Garam Masala (1 Tsp): ~10 calories
- Beef Cube (1): ~10 calories
- Onion Powder (1 Tsp, Optional): ~8 calories
- Vegetable Oil (2 Tbsp): ~240 calories
- Water: 0 calories (both the 1 cup and 3 cups)
Total Calories for the Whole Recipe:
440 (Maize Flour) + 1200 (Beef) + 45 (Onion) + 44 (Tomatoes) + 23 (Garlic) + 10 (Ginger) + 23 (Coriander) + 10 (Curry Powder) + 10 (Beef Cube) + 8 (Onion Powder) + 240 (Vegetable Oil) = 2,053 calories
Calories per Serving (assuming it serves 2):
2,053 ÷ 2 = ~1,027 calories per serving
Related Links
Ugali Mayai(Egg Stew) Recipe: The Kenyan Campus Cuisine
Is Ugali Good for Weight Loss? Yes and No
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Yummy, will try it tonight
Nice blog thanks for this simple recipe