Braai Bap – South African corn porridge

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g corn semolina or polenta
• 600 ml milk
• 100 g bacon, diced
• 1 small onion(s)
• 100 g cheese, grated
• some nutmeg
• possibly salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

A polenta-like corn porridge based on a South African recipe, often served as a barbecue side dish. It goes perfectly with grilled beef, lamb, or ostrich.

Bring the milk to a boil (stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking). When the milk boils, reduce the heat and stir in the cornmeal, stirring vigorously (otherwise, lumps will form). Let it simmer over low heat, while frying the bacon in a little oil in a pan. Towards the end, add the onions and let them brown slightly. Season the porridge with a little nutmeg, then add the bacon and onions, including the cooking fat. Add the cheese immediately and stir well. Finally, season with salt if necessary (be careful, the bacon and cheese already contain salt). My original recipe called for a cup of cream, but when I remade it, I found that much too heavy—I used a bit more milk. I got this recipe from a white South African woman in Pretoria. The (mostly) poorer black people use cornmeal porridge (milibap) as a staple food, which they then spice up with sauces, vegetables, and (rarely) meat. Among the better-off, Milibap is frowned upon as a poor man’s food, but as Braai Bap (translated as barbecue porridge) it comes in a very “pimped” form.