Ugali, mayai and other foods we only eat when we are broke

There are meals you eat because you love them, and then there are meals you eat because your bank account has asked you to be humble.

It usually happens a few days before payday. The fridge is suspiciously empty, the M-Pesa balance is not encouraging, and suddenly that packet of noodles you ignored for three weeks starts looking like a five-star meal. This is when many of us rediscover the foods that have quietly carried us through difficult financial days.

They may not be glamorous, but they are affordable, filling and always ready to save the situation. From ugali and mayai to githeri, these are the meals that have helped many Kenyans survive the long wait for payday.

Ugali and mayai

When the money is running low, ugali and mayai can suddenly become the most important meal in the house.

It is simple, filling and does not ask for much. All you need is maize flour, a few eggs and perhaps an onion and tomato if your financial situation allows a little luxury. Within a short time, you have a proper meal sitting on the table.

Ugali and mayai are popular because they feel like a complete meal without requiring a long shopping list. The eggs bring flavour and protein, while the ugali makes sure you stay full long enough to stop thinking about food every twenty minutes.

There are also different ways to make the mayai. You can fry them separately, scramble them with onions and tomatoes or make a quick omelette. Some people even add a little sukuma wiki when they are trying to convince themselves that the meal is healthy and balanced.

But let us be honest. Ugali and mayai are not always born out of careful meal planning. Sometimes, they are the result of hunger, an almost empty wallet and the determination to survive until payday.

And somehow, they always deliver.

Githeri

Githeri deserves respect because it has been there during some of the toughest financial moments.

It has survived January. It has survived university life. It has survived unemployment. It has survived those painful final days of the month when payday is close enough to imagine but still too far away to help.

Made mainly from maize and beans, githeri is filling, affordable and can feed you for more than one meal. That is one of its greatest strengths. You can cook a large sufuria today and still find enough for tomorrow.

The beauty of githeri is that it changes according to your financial situation. When things are good, you add potatoes, carrots, vegetables and perhaps some meat. When money is tight, you keep things simple and let the maize and beans handle the situation.

Some people will even tell you that githeri tastes better the next day. Whether that is true or simply what we tell ourselves when there is still a full sufuria in the fridge remains a mystery.

Ugali and sukuma wiki

Ugali and sukuma wiki have been carrying Kenyan households for generations.

It may not sound exciting when someone says it is for dinner, but hunger has a way of changing your opinion. After a long day, a hot plate of ugali with well-cooked sukuma wiki can suddenly become exactly what you needed.

The meal is affordable, easy to prepare and filling. A little sukuma wiki can go a long way, especially when cooked with onions and tomatoes. Add enough ugali and you have a meal that can comfortably keep hunger away for hours.

Of course, there are levels to this meal. When money is available, you might add beef, chicken or fish. When the wallet is going through a difficult season, the sukuma wiki simply has to work harder.

Thankfully, it usually does.

Bread and eggs

Bread and eggs are the meal equivalent of calling an emergency meeting.

You open the kitchen cupboard and there is very little to work with. No rice. No meat. Nothing exciting in the fridge. Then you spot bread and eggs, and suddenly there is hope.

Eggs are useful because they can become almost anything. You can fry them, scramble them, boil them or mix them with tomatoes and onions. Put them next to a few slices of bread and you have a meal that looks like you actually planned it.

Bread alone may feel a little sad, but add eggs and suddenly dinner has some confidence.

It is also one of the quickest meals to prepare, making it perfect for those moments when you are broke, hungry and have absolutely no energy for complicated cooking.

Sometimes survival does not need a recipe. It just needs two eggs and a loaf of bread.

Noodles

Noodles have saved many people who had little money, no patience and absolutely no interest in cooking a proper meal.

They are quick, affordable and ready within minutes. This makes them particularly useful during those moments when hunger arrives unexpectedly and there is almost nothing else to eat.

The basic version can be a little lonely, but this is where kitchen creativity comes in. Add an egg, leftover vegetables, tomatoes or even some sukuma wiki and suddenly the noodles start looking like a serious meal.

Of course, some people have created noodle combinations that deserve their own investigation. Noodles with eggs, sausages, ketchup and every leftover ingredient in the fridge can become a full kitchen experiment.

But hunger does not care about presentation.

When the money is low and the stomach is making unreasonable demands, noodles will always show up quickly and without questions.

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