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Bota
Maize porridge with peanut butter
Bota: Zimbabwean breakfast porridge of white maize meal and peanut butter
Before school buses leave Bulawayo and Gweru, pots of bota are already ticking on the stove: a thin, pourable porridge of white maize meal, much looser than the stiff sadza eaten later in the day. A good spoonful of peanut butter turns it pale gold and gives it a toasty, slightly savoury richness, and a little sugar makes it a favourite with children. Some families stir in lacto, the Zimbabwean sour milk, or squeeze in lemon for tang; this version keeps it plant-based. Lumps are the classic fault, and they come from tipping dry meal into boiling water. Chef's tip: always whisk the maize meal into cold water first, then heat it, and the porridge stays velvet-smooth.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz white maize mealfine, the kind used for sadza (also sold as mealie meal)
- 4 ¼ cups cold water
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ⅛ oz smooth peanut butterunsweetened
- 2 tbsp sugaror to taste
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: In a saucepan, whisk 3 ½ oz white maize meal into 3 ¼ cups cold water off the heat until there are no dry pockets and it looks like thin milk.
Step 2: Set the pan over a medium heat and keep whisking as it warms, until it thickens and the first slow bubbles plop on the surface.
5 minStep 3: Turn the heat to low, add 1 pinch salt, half-cover the pan so it doesn't spit, and simmer, stirring every couple of minutes with a wooden spoon, until the raw maize taste has gone and the porridge coats the spoon like double cream.
10 minStep 4: Whisk 2 ⅛ oz smooth peanut butter with the rest of ¾ cup cold water in a cup until smooth, then stir it into the porridge.
1 minStep 5: Simmer for 2 more minutes, stirring, until it turns pale gold and glossy. If it has thickened too much, loosen it with a splash of hot water.
2 minStep 6: Stir in 2 tbsp sugar, taste, and ladle into bowls while hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bota take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of smooth peanut butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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