YEA Cookbook: Moldovan Mamaliga 

Prep Time: 5 min   |   Cooking Time: 20 min   |   Servings: 6

Mămăligă is a core part of Moldovan cuisine, often used as a substitute for bread. Each family has its own twist on the hearty meal. However, Mămăligă hasn’t always been made with cornflour, which was only introduced to Europe in the 16th century. Instead, it was made with millet flour!

Ingredients 

3 cups water 

1 cup medium ground cornmeal 

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter (optional)

200g grated cottage cheese

200ml sour cream

Vegan option 

+ 1 cup full fat coconut milk 

+ 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

In a pot, boil the water over high heat and add salt.

Once the water is boiling, turn down to medium. 

Pour in the cornmeal slowly while mixing with a wooden spoon.

Add the butter (optional).

Keep stirring for 10-12 minutes.

Smooth out the mămăligă using the back of the spoon.

Remove the pot from the heat and put the lid back on, leaving it to steam for 4-5 minutes.

Put the pot back over high heat for 1 minute.

Listen out for a faint “popping” sound, which means the mămăligă is coming away from the bottom of the pot.

Remove from the heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving with the cottage cheese and sour cream.

For a vegan option, you can replace the sour cream with full fat coconut milk and 1 tbsp of lemon juice.