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Soor (Somali maize porridge with butter and milk)

Name: Soor (Somali maize porridge with butter and milk)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Somali
Ingredients: 300 g fine maize meal; 250 ml cold water; 900 ml water; 0.5 tsp salt; 60 g butter; 300 ml milk; 3 tbsp sugar

Soor: stiff maize porridge with a well of melted butter, milk and sugar, a Somaliland comfort food

Herding families in Somaliland and the countryside around Hargeisa have long relied on soor, a thick porridge of maize meal stirred until it holds its shape on a plate. It is shaped into a mound, a well is pressed into the centre and filled with melted butter or ghee, then warm milk and a little sugar are poured round the edge; on other days the well is filled with a meat sauce instead. You eat it with your right hand or a spoon, scooping porridge through the butter. The result is mild, sweet and very filling. Lumps are the usual complaint, and they come from tipping the meal in all at once; mix part of it with cold water first, then rain the rest in while stirring. The usual mistake is adding the maize meal too fast, so it goes lumpy; whisk constantly as you pour. Chef's tip: cover the pan and let the porridge steam for 5 minutes at the end to cook out any raw taste.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 25 min
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4
Per serving: 470 kcal

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Ingredients

Serves4

For the porridge

10 ½ oz fine maize mealwhite or yellow
1 cup cold water
3 ¾ cups water
½ tsp salt

To serve

2 ⅛ oz butteror ghee
1 ¼ cups milkwarmed
3 tbsp sugar

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SaltMorton, Iodized Salt, 26 Ounce, 26 oz
SugarAmazon Saver, White Sugar, 4 Lb

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fine maize meal

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Method

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Step 1: Whisk a third of the 10 ½ oz fine maize meal into the 1 cup cold water to a smooth paste.
Step 2: Bring the 3 ¾ cups water and ½ tsp salt to the boil in a heavy pan. Whisk in the paste and stir for 3 minutes until it thickens like custard.
3 min
Step 3: Lower the heat to medium and rain in the rest of the maize meal a handful at a time, stirring hard with a wooden spoon and pressing out any lumps against the side.
5 min
Step 4: Keep stirring and folding for 10–12 minutes, until the porridge is very thick, pulls away from the pan and holds its shape.
12 min
Step 5: Cover and leave on the lowest heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile melt the 2 ⅛ oz butter.
5 min
Step 6: Turn the porridge out onto a wide plate, shape into a mound and press a deep well in the centre. Pour the butter into the well, pour the warm 1 ¼ cups milk round the edge and sprinkle with the 3 tbsp sugar. Eat at once.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 470 kcal
Protein: 9 g
Carbs: 70 g
Fat: 17 g
Fibre: 4 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does soor (Somali maize porridge with butter and milk) take?: About 30 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 25 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 milk?: Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).

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