Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 2-3 cups maize or millet or sorghum or rice meal (more or less, depending on the consistency required)

Method

1. Boil 3 cups of water.
2. In a saucepan, make a paste using some of the meal with a cup of cold water. Add the hot water.
3. Place on medium high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens, like porridge. Watch carefully to avoid 'sadza burns' when it starts boiling.
4. Cover the saucepan and simmer for some time - about 15 minutes. Lower the heat a little to prevent burning at the bottom. It should not boil too vigorously. If the water/meal mixture is just right, the sadza will boil without spilling over. However if it is too thin it might spill over, especially when the saucepan lid is on. Keep an eye on it.
5. Remove the lid and gradually add meal, stirring all the and flattening any lumps that may form. All the meal should mix into the porridge. The water and meal are well-blended in good sadza which has a bit of shine and elasticity.
6. Continue to add and stir until the sadza thickens to required consistency - some people prefer it thin, others prefer it thicker. When you do not know the people's taste, leave it a medium thickness. At this point the sadza requires strong stirring, especially if making large quantities.
7. Reduce the heat to very low. Cover and leave for a few minutes to allow further cooking.
8. Stir the sadza once again before dishing with a wet curved wooden spoon. Sadza can be served with vegetables, meat, poultry, fish or soured milk