Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Krummelpap/Putu Pap (Crumbly porridge)

Krummelpap Putu Pap

Long weekends are truly the stuff dreams are made of. You get to recharge, sleep late and best of all indulge in the kind of breakfasts that you never have time for during the week. 
I love a good breakfast, but truth be told, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to cooking so soon after I wake up. Supper I'll do, even lunch, but breakfast, oooh boy I need some strong motivation to find myself with a spoon in the kitchen during the AM hours. 

Some breakfasts are worth it though. Like some deliciously creamy scrambled eggs, perhaps dotted with salmon and piled high on a fresh buttery croissant. Or perhaps some cinnamon-y syrup-y Finnish Pancakes. Even a plain muffin goes down very well when it's fresh and the perfect balance between moistness and crumb. 

Krummelpap Putu Pap

While those are all great breakfasts though, few things evoke such wonderful memories as krummelpap(say: krim-mel-pup). Krummelpap is not glamorous, nor is it particularly trendy, but it takes me straight back to my childhood. My my mom used to make a pot of krummelpap whenever we had family visiting (see, this no-cooking thing in the mornings is in the genes) and the smell of the steaming pap never failed to bring a smile to our faces.

The dish was always served with stories of how my mom, as a little girl, used to beg their domestic worker (who was like a second mom to her) to give her some of the porridge she made for her own children in the mornings. And, according to my mom, that's where she learned to eat it with milk and salt instead of sugar. She still eats it that way, and this custom was also adopted by my brother and me. So much so that I can't imagine eating it with sugar (strange, considering my sweet tooth!). 

Krummelpap Ptut Pap

Such is the power of nostalgia. Sitting at the breakfast table with a bowl of krummelpap on Saturday, it was almost as if I could smell my mom in the tempting aroma of the pap. And it truly felt like home.
 

I'm submitting this to the Monthly Mingle - South Africa created by the fabulous Meeta from What's For Lunch Honey.

Krummelpap 
Slightly adapted from Rainbow Cooking
Serves 4

2 1/2 cups boiling water
a pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups maize meal

1. Add water and salt to a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. 
2. Add the maize meal to the water, but don't stir (very tempting I know!). Cover with lid, lower heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. 
3. Using a fork, fluff the porridge, then cover again and allow to cook for another 30 minutes. Fluff sporadically during this time. A crust will form on the bottom of the pan - this is not a problem and in fact is treasured by many people (including myself). 
4. Serve warm with warmed milk and sugar (as most people from the southern parts of South Africa eats it), or warmed milk and salt (like my mom taught us) for breakfast. It can also be served with tamatiesmoor (a tomato and onion gravy) as side-dish to a braai (barbeque) - the majority of people from the northern parts of South Africa eat it this way.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 251.2, Total fat 0.8 g, Saturated fat 0.0 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.0 g, Monounsaturated fat 0.0 g, Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 40.3 mg, Potassium 0.0 mg, Total carbohydrate 57.5 g, Dietary fiber 4.3 g, Sugars 0.0 g, Protein 5.8 g

Good source of: Vitamin B6 23.6 %, Thiamin 20.5 %

16 comments:

Joanne on April 28, 2010 4:57 am said...

I can't make a big breakfast in the morning but I would love to have this as breakfast for dinner! How unique!

Marisa on April 28, 2010 7:38 am said...

Great idea Joanne - you could then have it with tomato & onion gravy and perhaps some boerewors on the side! :-)

Wendy @ Mint Tea on April 28, 2010 9:18 am said...

That is my husbands perfect breakfast!!! Had some pap at the SA Embassy South African day celebration last night, with chakalaka sauce...so good!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm a male student @ UCT and very lazy when it comes to cooking. I think i'd definetely try this as it is not complicated. But a definite No for breakfast.

Anonymous said...

It is even better with buttermilk! Try it, I know you will be surprised.

Marisa on April 28, 2010 12:05 pm said...

Wendy - I'm a recent convert to pap as supper with gravy, the celebration sounds lovely!

Male Student @ UCT - Hope it turns out well for you - it's not only easy, but cheap too.

Anonymous - Great suggestion, I'll give it a go!

diva on April 28, 2010 5:10 pm said...

It's getting warmer in London but just yesterday morning I found myself craving porridge. How did you know! :) This looks very yum. Great Monthly Mingle entry. x

Anonymous said...

One can also make a big pot of (putu)pap, portion and freeze in plastic bags. Whenever required, just add a spoonful of water to the pap, and reheat in the same bag in the microwave.Be very careful when opening the bag, as one can easily burn oneself with the hot steam. Try it !

Marisa on April 29, 2010 8:19 am said...

Diva - I read minds... ;-) Glad you like it.

Anonymous - Great suggestion! I think I'll implement that during the winter months.

Anette said...

Hi

Add a cup of mielie kernels to the water before adding the meal, reduce water by 1/2 cup.

Anonymous said...

Add sliced biltong. Tastes unbelievable!

Marisa on April 30, 2010 5:20 pm said...

Anette - I've seen the mielie tip on another blog, will have to try it.

Anonymous - I think biltong will make anything taste good! Stay tuned for another great recipe on Monday utilising South Africa's favourite snack...

Ann on May 04, 2010 5:57 am said...

Awww...this brings back so, so ,so, so many memories. I think it's called Nshima in Zambia, and just pap or mealie pap in Botswana. I've had f it as a kid, and then it disappeared. Thank you for bringing all those memories back. I think I might just start crying now....=)

Anonymous said...

Quick and easy a nice contribution. I too took part in the Monthly Mingle, but I am not quite sure how it was supposed to work. Thanks for sharing!

penny aka jeroxie on May 25, 2010 1:15 pm said...

How interesting! Childhood memories are the best and nostalgic :)

Tasty Trix on May 25, 2010 4:18 pm said...

I have not seen this dish before, I will have to try this for breakfast. Great contribution to the World Africa Day round up!

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