Madila

Ingredients

Milk

• 1.5 litreswhole milk
• 3 tbsplive plain yoghurt or madila from a previous batch, as starter

To serve

• bogobe (sorghum porridge), hot
• salt or sugar, to taste

Directions

1. Warm the milk to about 35°C (95°F) — blood heat, no more. Traditionally this step is just the warmth of fresh milk straight from the cow, so there is no need to overheat it.
2. Stir in the starter until it is evenly mixed through.
3. Pour into a clean jar or a calabash, cover with a cloth rather than a lid so gas can escape, and leave at warm room temperature for one to two days until it has set and tastes distinctly sour.
4. Set a sieve lined with muslin over a bowl, tip in the soured milk and let it drain in the fridge for six to twelve hours. This is what turns it from soured milk into madila: it should end up thick enough to hold the mark of a spoon.
5. Stir the drained curd smooth and season with a little salt, or sugar if it is going to be eaten alone.
6. Serve cold, spooned over hot bogobe so it half melts into the porridge, or eaten on its own from a bowl.

Technique

• Keep the whey that drains off. It is pleasantly sour and is drunk cold, or used to cook the next pot of porridge.
• Cover with cloth, not a sealed lid. A sealed jar traps carbon dioxide and the curd rises and separates unevenly.
• Two days is usually plenty. Left longer it goes past sour into bitter, and no amount of draining brings it back.

Substitutions

• Buttermilk in place of the starter, which works well and is closer to what a household with no yoghurt would use.
• Goat’s milk, which sours faster and comes out sharper.

Variations

• Undrained, it is drunk as a thick soured milk rather than eaten with a spoon.
• The Zimbabwean amasi and South African maas are the same thing under other names.

History

Milk soured thick in a calabash or hide bag, drained and eaten with porridge; the standard way to keep milk before refrigeration.

Frequently asked questions

What is Madila?

Madila is a cheese & dairy from Botswana: thick soured milk, drunk alone or with bogobe. Milk soured thick in a calabash or hide bag, drained and eaten with porridge; the standard way to keep milk before refrigeration.

How long does Madila take to make?

Madila takes 10 min plus 2 to 3 days souring of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 800 ml. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Madila?

Yes, within limits. Buttermilk in place of the starter, which works well and is closer to what a household with no yoghurt would use. Goat’s milk, which sours faster and comes out sharper.

What is the most important thing to get right in Madila?

Pour into a clean jar or a calabash, cover with a cloth rather than a lid so gas can escape, and leave at warm room temperature for one to two days until it has set and tastes distinctly sour.