My dad thinks I am so unnecessary! He is quiet and simple. He can eat sadza and vegetables three times a day and he will be happy. We are complete opposites. After he told me how mbwirembwire is made, I told him I was going to experiment with it and all he could say was, Why?
I like to ruffle his feathers so I made porridge with mbwirembwire. This is my rebellion. Also, my parents used to say, “Wozoita izvozvo kumba kwako! (You will do that in your own house!)”, whenever I wanted to do something my way. So that is exactly what I am doing. Though to be honest I used to find my way to be different in their house.
Of course, they did not say it to be cruel a fact I only realise now as an adult. While we were not poor, my parents certainly could not afford extra food for me to try new recipes. I still try to make sure that we eat all the food that I cook even when the recipe does not go as planned. This recipe worked.
If you read my last post, I concluded that mbwirembwire is just roasted maizemeal. In that vein, I am going to try to use it like regular maize meal. Right off the bat, I noticed that mbwirembwire has a finer texture compared to maize meal almost like flour. This means making sadza will be challenging, I am gravitating towards a different method to what I usually do when I attempt to make sadza.
The porridge does not taste anything like I am used to with regular maize meal. It is toasty, as expected. Different yet familiar.
Here is the recipe I used:
Mbwirembwire porridge
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup mbwirembwire roasted maize meal
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter optional
Instructions
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Boil 1 cup of water in a saucepan.
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Blend the mbwirembwire (roasted maize meal) with a 1/4 cup of water.
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Add the blended mbwirembwire (roasted maize meal) to the simmering water and stir until it starts bubbling.Cover pot and let it bubble for 5 minutes, however if the pot is bigger you will need to add more time.
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Add the salt and peanut butter and stir. Reduce heat and let it bubble for ten minutes.
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Scoop it into a serving bowl. Sweeten with sugar if you like it. Top with fruit, yogurt or nuts.