Mealies (maize) or sweetcorn, is a very popular food in South Africa. Mealies are either boiled or cooked over coals in the cob, or made into mealie bread. Maize meal is the staple diet of many people, especially the Black people. Many traditional black dishes include pap. The Black people eat smooth maize meal porridge, or simple pap, and crumbly “phutu” pap. A variety of savouries are used to accompany pap, made from green vegetables, and flavoured with chilli. A dish called “Umngqusho is apparently President Mandela’s favourite dish. It is made of stamp mealies (broken dried maize kernels) with sugar beans, butter, onions, potatoes, chillies and lemons, made to simmer.
Ingredients:
- 75 gm maize meal
- 400 ml milk
- 10 ml butter
- A pinch of Kosher salt
Directions:
- Mix the maize meal with 100 ml milk and a pinch of salt. Bring the rest of the milk (300ml) to boiling point. Add the mixture of maize meal and milk in small quantities and stir firmly to avoid burning. Put the heat at low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- The porridge should be soft and runny. Stir in the butter just before serving. Serve with milk and sugar.
