Ingredients
Milk
- 2 litresraw whole milk
- or 2 litres pasteurised milk with 4 tbsp live natural yoghurt
Vessel
- a dried gourd or a clay pot
- a cloth, to cover
To serve
- hot sadza
- or drunk cold
Directions
- Pour the milk into a clean gourd or clay pot and cover it with a cloth. Never seal it — the ferment gives off gas and a sealed pot builds pressure.
- Stand it somewhere warm and shaded and leave it completely alone for two to three days.
- Do not stir it. The curd sets as one body, and stirring breaks it into grainy flecks that never come back together.
- It sours on its own with the bacteria already in the raw milk and in the wall of the pot, which is why a Shona household uses the same vessel year after year and never scrubs it out entirely.
- A thick curd will form with clear whey beneath. That is right.
- It is ready when it is thick and cleanly sour. Taste it: tangy is good, bitter is not.
- A putrid smell, or any pink or grey tinge, means it spoiled rather than soured. Throw it out and scald the pot before starting again.
- Pour it over hot sadza and eat at once. The point of the pairing is temperature as much as taste — the cold sour milk cools the stiff hot porridge as you eat, and it is the everyday supper of rural Zimbabwe.
- Refrigerate what is left. It keeps three days and goes on sharpening.
- With shop milk there is no useful culture left, so the yoghurt must be added or the jar will spoil instead of souring.
Technique
- Cloth cover, never a lid. Warm, shaded, undisturbed.
- Sour good, bitter or putrid out.
- Pasteurised milk needs a starter.
Substitutions
- Live natural yoghurt as a starter.
- A clay pot or glass jar in place of a gourd.
- Churned first to take off the butter, leaving a thinner drink.
Variations
- The Zambian mabisi and South African amasi are the same soured milk.
- Eaten with sweet potato or plain, as a drink through the day.
History
Milk left to sour naturally in a gourd or clay pot, the traditional way to keep it in Shona rural households before refrigeration.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mukaka wakakora?
Mukaka wakakora is a cheese & dairy from Zimbabwe: thick soured milk poured over hot sadza until it cools. Milk left to sour naturally in a gourd or clay pot, the traditional way to keep it in Shona rural households before refrigeration.
How long does Mukaka wakakora take to make?
Mukaka wakakora takes 15 min plus 2 to 3 days souring of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes makes about 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Mukaka wakakora?
Yes, within limits. Live natural yoghurt as a starter. A clay pot or glass jar in place of a gourd. Churned first to take off the butter, leaving a thinner drink.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mukaka wakakora?
Pour the milk into a clean gourd or clay pot and cover it with a cloth. Never seal it — the ferment gives off gas and a sealed pot builds pressure.
