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Mageu
Southern African fermented maize drink
Mageu (also amahewu or mahewu) is a thin, sour, nourishing drink of fermented maize porridge, made in homes across Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and Botswana and drunk by farm workers, schoolchildren and anyone needing a filling lift on a hot afternoon. A little wheat flour or a spoonful of the last batch starts the fermentation overnight. Commercial cartons are sold everywhere, but home-made tastes fresher. Chef's tip: let the porridge cool to lukewarm before adding the starter; too hot and it kills the fermentation.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Whisk 4 oz fine white maize meal into 500 ml of 0.5 litres water cold, then pour into a pan with the rest of 1 litres water. Bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer for 10–15 minutes until it is a thin, smooth porridge with no raw taste.
15 minStep 2: Cool until just warm to the touch. Stir in 1 tbsp plain flour, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 24 hours, until pleasantly sour. Common mistake: sealing it airtight — it needs to breathe while it ferments.
1440 minStep 3: Stir in 3 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp vanilla extract. If it is too thick to drink, add cold water.
Step 4: Chill and serve cold, stirring or shaking first. Keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mageu take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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