Kenyan Wet-Fry Tilapia with Sukuma Wiki & Ugali

Name: Kenyan Wet-Fry Tilapia with Sukuma Wiki & Ugali
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Kenyan & East African
Ingredients: 1½ lb tilapia fillets, in large pieces; 2 onions, sliced; 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, sliced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; ½ bunch cilantro, chopped; 1 lemon; 10 oz chopped kale or collards; 2 cups white or fine yellow cornmeal; ¼ cup oil; 3 tbsp flour; 1 tsp paprika; 1 chicken bouillon cube; salt; pepper

DinnerKenyan & East African50 minServes 4685 kcal44 g protein

Photo: Tamuka Hwami · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Lake Victoria-style fried tilapia finished in a quick tomato and onion gravy, with garlicky sautéed greens and a firm, soft cornmeal ugali for scooping it all up.

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Ingredients

1½ lb tilapia fillets, in large pieces
2 onions, sliced
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lemon
10 oz chopped kale or collards
2 cups white or fine yellow cornmeal

From your pantry: ¼ cup oil, 3 tbsp flour, 1 tsp paprika, 1 chicken bouillon cube, salt, pepper.

Instructions

Season the fish with lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper, then dust lightly with flour. Fry in 3 tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
In the same pan cook half the onions and the bell pepper 4 minutes, add half the garlic and the tomatoes with the bouillon and ½ cup water, and simmer until saucy, 8 minutes. Lay the fish in, spoon sauce over and simmer 3 minutes. Add cilantro.
For the ugali, bring 4 cups salted water to a boil, then whisk in half the cornmeal. Stir in the rest a little at a time with a wooden spoon, pressing out lumps, until very stiff and pulling from the sides. Cover and cook on low 5 to 8 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.
For the sukuma wiki, cook the remaining onions in 1 tbsp oil until soft, add the rest of the garlic and the greens with a splash of water and a pinch of salt, and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Serve the fish and sauce with the greens and a wedge of ugali.

Tip: White maize meal is what Kenyans use for ugali; look for it at African or Latin markets (or use white grits ground fine). Yellow cornmeal tastes sweeter but works.