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Umfino
Maize meal with greens
Imifino: soft maize meal cooked with spinach, chard and onion, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal style
Imifino is the word rural cooks in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal use for the leafy greens gathered after the rains, and umfino is the comforting dish they become when folded into maize meal. This version uses shop-bought spinach and Swiss chard, with pumpkin or beetroot leaves from a greengrocer if you can find them; please don't forage wild plants. The result is soft, green-flecked pap, savoury with fried onion and earthy from the greens, eaten on its own at a weekday supper or alongside beans, amasi or a tomato and onion gravy. Watch the water: too much and it turns to porridge, too little and the maize stays raw and gritty. Chef's tip: wilt the greens in the pot first and keep their liquid, because that green water is what flavours the pap.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 7 oz spinachwashed and roughly chopped
- 5 ½ oz Swiss chardstalks thinly sliced, leaves shredded; or shop-bought pumpkin leaves
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 9 oz white maize meal
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 green chilli (optional)finely chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a medium heavy pot over a medium heat and fry 1 onion with 1 green chilli until soft and just turning golden.
6 minStep 2: Add the sliced chard stalks from 5 ½ oz Swiss chard and cook for 2 minutes until they start to soften.
2 minStep 3: Pile in 7 oz spinach and the chard leaves with a splash of the ¼ cup water, cover and let them wilt over a medium heat, stirring once, until dark green and collapsed.
4 minStep 4: Pour in the rest of 2 ¾ cups water and 1 tsp salt and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Step 5: Sprinkle in 9 oz white maize meal in a steady stream, stirring hard with a wooden spoon so no lumps form. The mixture will thicken quickly.
Step 6: Turn the heat to low, cover tightly and steam for 10 minutes, then stir well, scraping the bottom, and cover again.
10 minStep 7: Cook for another 5–8 minutes until the pap is thick, holds its shape on the spoon and tastes cooked rather than raw and floury. Serve hot.
8 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does umfino take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 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 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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