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Mămăligă
Romanian cornmeal mush with brânză and smântână
Mămăligă is the golden cornmeal staple of the Romanian countryside, from the hill villages of Oltenia to the farms of Maramureș, where it was once eaten more often than bread. It is cooked in water until thick enough to hold a spoon upright, turned out onto a wooden board and cut with a thread, then eaten hot with crumbled salty brânză and a cold spoon of smântână (soured cream). Unlike Ukrainian banosh, which is cooked in sour cream, mămăligă is plain cornmeal and water; the richness goes on top. It sits beside stews such as tocăniță or under a fried egg for supper. Chef's tip: rain the cornmeal in through your fingers while whisking, and keep stirring from the bottom; dumping it in at once is the classic mistake that leaves raw, gritty lumps.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the mămăligă
To serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 5 cups water and 1 ½ tsp salt to the boil in a heavy pan over a high heat.
5 minStep 2: Turn the heat to medium. Rain in 9 oz medium-ground yellow cornmeal (mălai) a handful at a time through your fingers, whisking constantly, so every grain gets wet before the next goes in.
3 minStep 3: Swap the whisk for a wooden spoon and lower the heat to low. Cook, stirring firmly from the bottom every minute or two, until the mush is very thick, pulls away from the sides and smells sweet and toasty rather than raw.
20 minStep 4: Stir in ⅔ oz butter. Wet a wooden board or plate, tip the mămăligă onto it and let it settle for 2 minutes into a dome.
2 minStep 5: Cut into slices with a taut piece of thread or a wet knife and serve hot, scattered with 5 ½ oz brânză or feta and spooned with ¾ cup smântână or soured cream.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mămăligă take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 30 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of brânză or feta?
- Goat's cheese or ricotta salata, same amount.
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