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Meat, Africa and overseas

Nyama choma with ugali and kachumbari

Nyama choma with ugali and kachumbari is a Kenyan dish for 4 people, ready in 45 minutes and rated easy, at a cost of €4.10 per person. It's grilled beef served with soft, mild polenta and a fresh, lemony tomato salad. The key to success is searing the meat over high heat and getting the ugali to form a smooth ball.

We're heading to Kenya tonight, with well charred nyama choma, soft ugali and a fresh kachumbari salad.

Nyama choma with ugali and kachumbari
Total time
45 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.10
Calories per person
500 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Spring, Summer
The kids
They generally like it

Nyama choma is simply grilled beef, seared hard on the outside and juicy inside. The ugali brings a dense, soft, almost neutral texture that soaks up the meat juices. The kachumbari cuts through all that with crunch, lime acidity and a little heat from fresh chile. Three textures, three jobs, one plate.

This is a great recipe for a weeknight when you want something different without spending the whole evening cooking, or for a Sunday grilling session outdoors. Kids usually go straight for the ugali and the meat, so just leave the chile out of their kachumbari. Mon Chou is taking you to Kenya tonight, with nothing hard to find at the store.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Sirloin or ribeye steak 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Tomatoes 4
  • Red onion 1
  • Cilantro 10 sprigs
  • Limes 2
  • Fresh chile 1

Pantry

  • Instant fine polentaoften in the pantry 250 g
  • Sunflower oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 2 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the meat into large pieces, about the size of a small steak, and rub it with the oil and pepper. 20 min

    Take it out of the fridge early, meat at room temperature cooks more evenly and stays tender.

  2. Make the kachumbari by dicing the tomatoes, thinly slicing the red onion, slicing the chile into rounds and roughly chopping the cilantro, then mix with the lime juice and a pinch of salt.

    Soak the onion slices in cold water for ten minutes first, they turn out much milder.

  3. Heat a cast iron pan or a grill until very hot, salt the meat and sear it on all sides. 12 min

    Only flip the pieces once, when they release easily from the surface on their own.

  4. Pour 1 liter of salted water into a saucepan, bring to a boil and whisk in the polenta in a steady stream, then stir with a wooden spoon until you get a thick paste. 10 min

    This is the ugali, it's ready when the paste pulls away from the sides of the pan into a smooth ball.

  5. Slice the meat and plate it with a large scoop of ugali and the kachumbari on the side.

    In Kenya it's eaten with your hands, you pinch off a bit of ugali to scoop up the meat and salad.

Our tips to get it right

  • Get your cast iron pan or grill really hot before the meat goes on, otherwise it steams instead of charring.
  • Make the kachumbari first, it only gets better after a few minutes marinating in lime juice.
  • Pour the polenta into the boiling water in a thin, steady stream while whisking, that's what keeps the ugali lump free.

The variations

  • Swap the sirloin or ribeye for chicken skewers or lamb chops, the grilling method stays the same.
  • For a vegetarian version, grill thick eggplant slices or portobello mushrooms instead of the beef.
  • For kids in a hurry, serve the ugali and meat without chile, and put the kachumbari on the side in a small bowl.

What to serve it with

  • A drizzle of olive oil on the ugali
  • Fried plantain chips
  • Iced ginger tea

Storage

Store the meat, ugali and kachumbari separately in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat the ugali in a saucepan with a splash of water, and the meat in a hot pan for a few minutes. Kachumbari is best eaten cold and doesn't freeze well.

Questions about this dish

Can I use regular cornmeal instead of instant polenta?

Yes, but it will need a longer cooking time and more stirring to reach the same thick texture. Instant fine polenta is quicker and closer to traditional ugali.

Do you need to marinate the meat before grilling?

No, nyama choma is simply rubbed with oil and pepper, no marinade needed. Salt goes on right before cooking so the meat stays juicy.

Can I make the kachumbari ahead of time?

You can chop the vegetables a few hours ahead, but add the lime juice and salt right before serving. Otherwise the tomatoes release too much water and the salad turns soggy.

How do you know when the ugali is done?

The ugali is ready when it forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pot on its own. That usually takes about 10 minutes of constant stirring.

How long does it take to make some nyama choma with ugali and kachumbari?

Count 45 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in some nyama choma with ugali and kachumbari?

About 500 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does some nyama choma with ugali and kachumbari cost?

About €4.10 per serving, or €16.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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