AI-generated image
Munkoyo
Munkoyo: Zambian lightly fermented maize drink, thinned with a root (or malt) enzyme
Munkoyo is the drink of Zambian village afternoons and long bus rides, sold in reused bottles at roadside stands from Kabwe to Mansa: a thin maize porridge sweetened and loosened by the pounded roots of the munkoyo shrub, then left to ferment lightly for about a day. It tastes gently sweet and sour, a little like a thin, cool maize yoghurt drink, and is drunk by everyone, children included, because it is not meant to be alcoholic. Munkoyo root is hard to find outside Zambia, so this recipe uses ground sorghum malt (sold as sorghum malt flour), which carries the same kind of starch-thinning enzymes; barley diastatic malt powder also works but makes it no longer gluten free. The big mistake is adding the root or malt to boiling-hot porridge, which kills the enzymes so it never thins. Chef's tip: drink it within two days and keep it chilled after fermenting, because if it ferments for longer it keeps souring and can start to develop traces of alcohol.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz white maize mealfine, as used for nshima
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 3 tbsp ground sorghum maltor a little pounded munkoyo root if you can find it; barley diastatic malt powder works but contains gluten
- 3 tbsp sugar (optional)or to taste
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz white maize meal into 2 cups water in a large saucepan off the heat until smooth.
Step 2: Add the rest of 6 ¼ cups water, set the pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time so it doesn't catch.
10 minStep 3: Turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring every few minutes, until it looks like a thin, smooth porridge and the raw maize smell has gone.
15 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool until it feels hot but bearable to a fingertip, about 140°F, which keeps the enzymes alive.
20 minStep 5: Stir in 3 tbsp ground sorghum malt thoroughly. Within 15–20 minutes the porridge will visibly thin and taste sweeter as the enzymes break the starch down.
5 minStep 6: Cover the pan with a clean cloth and leave at warm room temperature for about 24 hours, stirring once or twice, until it tastes pleasantly sour, smells clean and has tiny bubbles on top. If it smells off or shows mould, throw it away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does munkoyo take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 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.
- 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.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Guava delight
A thick, fragrant blend of ripe guava, mango and banana, boosted with a spoonful of guava powder from the health shop. The book calls it a modern-day vitality drink, drawing on guava's long use in traditional Indian medicine. Serve it well chilled; sieve it if you don't like the little guava seeds.
Power pack
A sweet, energising juice of apples, pears and kiwi fruit with a stick of celery, all used unpeeled for extra goodness. It's naturally sweet, so it needs no sugar. Serve well chilled.
Horchata de chufa
Horchata de chufa is the drink of Valencia's summer, sold ice-cold in the city's horchaterías with long, soft fartons pastries for dipping. It is made from chufas, or tiger nuts: small wrinkled tubers grown around the village of Alboraya just north of Valencia, which have their own protected designation of origin. Soaked, ground with water, strained and sweetened, they give a creamy, nutty, naturally dairy-free milk with a hint of cinnamon. Valencians drink it very cold, or half-frozen as 'granizada'. Chef's tip: soak the tiger nuts for a full 24 hours and change the water once; they must be plump and soft enough to blend into a fine pulp, or the horchata will be thin and taste of raw starch.
Spanish