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Meat, Africa and overseas

Sadza with beef stew

Sadza with beef stew is a family meal from Zimbabwe, serving 4, ready in 1 hour 40 minutes, rated easy, at €3.50 per serving. Sadza is a firm cornmeal paste eaten with your fingers, dipped into a beef stew slowly simmered with tomatoes, onions and carrots. Success depends on stirring the sadza until smooth and firm, and simmering the beef long enough that it falls apart with a fork.

Tonight, an everyday dish from Zimbabwe, sadza, a firm cornmeal paste, with a beef stew cooked with tomatoes and onions.

Sadza with beef stew
Total time
1 h 40
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.50
Calories per person
490 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Sadza is a thick cornmeal paste, almost neutral in taste, that serves as the base for many everyday meals in Zimbabwe. Its firm, smooth texture contrasts with the beef stew, slowly simmered with tomatoes, onions, garlic and carrots, which brings all the richness and flavor to the plate. Together, the two make up a simple, generous meal meant to feed a whole family.

This is a great dish for a fall or winter evening, when you want a dinner that simmers quietly while you get other things done. Kids usually love eating sadza with their fingers, pressing a little dimple into a ball to scoop up the sauce, which turns dinner into a bit of a fun ritual too. It is a recipe Mon Chou likes to suggest when you want something different without making the cooking complicated.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck (braising cut) 700 g

Pantry

  • Instant fine cornmealoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Sunflower oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 2 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Tomatoes 4
  • Onions 2
  • Carrots 3
  • Garlic 3 cloves

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the beef into 3 cm cubes, thinly slice the onions and garlic, dice the tomatoes and cut the carrots into rounds.

    Choose a marbled cut like chuck, it turns tender during cooking.

  2. Brown the beef in hot oil in a Dutch oven, add the onions and garlic and let them cook until softened. 12 min

    Brown the meat in two batches so it does not boil.

  3. Add the tomatoes, paprika, salt, pepper and 20 cl of water, cover and let simmer over low heat. 1 h

    The stew is ready when the meat falls apart with a fork.

  4. Add the carrots and continue cooking covered. 20 min

    Add the carrots toward the end of cooking, they keep their shape and flavor.

  5. Bring 1 liter of salted water to a boil, pour in the cornmeal in a steady stream while whisking, then stir with a wooden spoon until you get a firm paste, the sadza. 10 min

    Cook over low heat and stir vigorously, the sadza should turn smooth.

Our tips to get it right

  • Always pour the cornmeal in a thin stream into boiling water while whisking nonstop, otherwise it clumps and you cannot fix it afterward.
  • Taste the stew before serving and adjust the salt, since the tomatoes and added water can dilute the seasoning during the long simmer.
  • Serve the sadza warm rather than piping hot, it holds its shape better in a ball and is easier to handle with your fingers.

The variations

  • Swap the chuck for shin or blade beef, two other braising cuts that turn just as tender after an hour of simmering.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with cooked kidney beans and cut the simmering time down to 25 minutes.
  • For a quicker, kid-friendly version, use ground beef instead of cubes, it cooks in 15 minutes instead of an hour.

What to serve it with

  • Sauteed greens with garlic
  • A fresh tomato salad
  • Hot rooibos tea

Storage

The beef stew keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container and freezes well for up to 3 months. Sadza keeps for 2 days in the fridge, but reheats best in a pan with a splash of water added to bring back its softness.

Questions about this dish

Can I use regular cornmeal instead of instant cornmeal?

Yes, but it will take longer to cook and need even more frequent stirring. The final texture of the sadza stays the same once it turns firm and smooth.

Can I make the beef stew ahead of time?

Yes, it actually tastes better reheated the next day once the flavors have had time to develop. Make the sadza at the last minute though, since it firms up as it cools.

How do I know if the sadza has the right texture?

It should form a firm ball that holds together on a spoon, without being sticky or too dry. If it is too runny, keep it on low heat and stir for a few more minutes.

Is this dish good for kids?

Yes, the stew tastes mild and the sadza is neutral, which makes it popular with younger eaters. Eating with their fingers also turns it into a fun part of dinner.

How long does it take to make sadza with beef stew?

Count 1 h 40 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in sadza with beef stew?

About 490 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 sadza with beef stew cost?

About €3.50 per serving, or €14.00 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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