Entree: Malawi – Usipa ndi Nsima (Dried small fish served with nsima, a maize porridge)

Food safety reminder: Follow safe food-handling practices and use a food thermometer to verify safe internal cooking temperatures.

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 20 min

Cook 15 min

Total 35 min

Ingredients

Dried usipa (small dried silver cyprinid fish), rinsed and drained — 454 g; estimate assumes the small fish are eaten whole, so edible weight is approximately 454 g. For catalog matching only, use dried anchovy as a clearly labelled practical proxy.
Vegetable oil — 45 ml total, divided
Onion, thinly sliced — 140 g
Tomatoes, chopped — 225 g
Small red chile, chopped — 1–2 chiles (quantity not specified by weight), optional
Water — up to 60 ml, as needed to loosen the sauce
Salt — 2.5 g, plus an unspecified amount to taste
Fresh lemon or lime juice — 30 ml, optional
Fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped — 2 tbsp (about 8 g), optional
Water for nsima — 960 ml
Fine white maize meal — 240 g
Salt for nsima — 2.5 g

Instructions

1. Bring 960 ml water and 2.5 g salt to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium.
2. Mix 60 g of the maize meal with 120 ml cold water to make a smooth slurry. Stir it into the boiling water. Gradually add the remaining 180 g maize meal, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
3. Stir and fold until the mixture becomes a stiff, smooth dough that pulls away from the sides of the pot, about 6–8 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Shape into a mound and keep warm.
4. While the nsima cooks, heat 30 ml vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the rinsed usipa dry with paper towels.
5. Fry the usipa in batches until crisp and golden, about 2–4 minutes per side depending on size. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
6. Add the remaining 15 ml oil to the skillet if needed and reduce the heat to medium. Sauté the onion until soft, about 4–5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and optional chiles and cook until the tomatoes break down, about 5–7 minutes.
7. Return the fried usipa to the skillet and toss gently with the onion-tomato mixture. Add up to 60 ml water if the mixture is too dry; simmer for 2–3 minutes. Season with 2.5 g salt and additional salt to taste. Stir in the optional citrus juice and chopped herbs.
8. Serve the hot nsima in four portions with the usipa relish. To eat by hand, pinch off a piece of nsima, form it into a small ball, and use it to scoop up the fish and relish.