Before we get started on today’s awesome recipes, I just wanted to say a big thank you to the readers that gave their various Nshima suggestions, on my previous article. I was quite inspired by them and I will be sure to feature some in my future columns. Whilst we are on the subject of inspiration, one of the suggestions was nshima porridge or mealie meal porridge; admittedly mealie meal porridge is not something that I ever ate as a child; however it is something that I have enjoyed before. Anyway, one reader mentioned how they never enjoyed nshima porridge when they were younger, so that inspired me to share a recipe with you that might change your mind. I would imagine that nshima porridge is something that you can eat for breakfast and this inspired me to write about…yes, you guessed it…breakfast.
The weekend is fast approaching and for some of us Saturday will be our first day off of the week. What better way to enjoy your day off than with a beautiful breakfast served in bed, the birds are singing, sun is beaming, the beautiful smell of bacon and eggs is wafting through the air. The sensational aroma hits your nose and puts a wide smile on your face….you get where I’m going with this. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; and as my aunt would say “Eat Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper”. So take a look at some of these fun and delicious ways to make your breakfast more interesting. Whether you are making this for ‘his or hers’ Birthday, an Anniversary or for Valentine’s Day, this is a great way to show some love to your other half. These recipes are not only mouth watering and delicious; but they are also healthy and the perfect way to start your day. Eggs are full of protein and just what you need to build up those muscles; nshima porridge is equally nutritious, and mixing it with peanut butter, honey or fruits takes the nutrition content even higher. So enjoy and try out one or two of these recipes to impress your special someone.
Preparation & cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
For the mealie meal porridge
- 1 ½ cups (180g) of mealie meal
- 60ml of cold water
- 470 ml of boiling water
- A pinch of salt
- Peanut butter/ Sugar/ Honey (optional)
- Sliced banana/Berries to top it off (optional)
For the French toast
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 eggs
- 59ml milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 8 slices white bread or brioche, halved
- 118ml maple syrup or honey, warmed
- Berries and Strawberries or other fresh fruit, chopped or sliced (optional)
For the poached eggs and bacon/ham
- 1 or 2 eggs per person, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp of vinegar (optional)
- Slices of wholemeal bread (1 or 2 per person)
- Butter for spreading (or any other low fat spread that you want)
- 2 rashers (slices) of bacon/ham per person
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Method
First prepare your mealie meal porridge. Boil your water. In a pot mix your mealie meal and cold water together to make a paste; add your boiling water, whilst stirring simultaneously and bring it to the boil. As soon as it starts to boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat; let it simmer for 15 minutes. If it is too thick add more water to get the consistency you would like. After 15 minutes add a pinch of salt and stir. If you are using peanut butter only add it at the end, just before serving, because this will ensure that you get the most nutrition from the nuts. Pour your porridge into a bowl and add sugar or honey to taste, or sliced banana or berries.
Whilst the porridge simmers, prepare everything else as follow;
French toast; in a pan, melt the butter over medium – high heat. In a small bowl, combine, cinnamon, and sugar and set aside. Whisk together the cinnamon mixture, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract and pour into a shallow container; dip bread into the egg mixture. Fry slices until golden brown on both sides. Once cooked, place them on paper towel to drain any excess butter. Pour your warm honey or syrup over them and add your desired fruit.
Eggs and bacon – preheat the oven to 200 ? C and cook the bacon for 6-8 minutes. Once the bacon has been cooking for about 2 minutes toast your bread and start poaching your eggs. In a kettle boil enough water to fully submerge your eggs. Add your water to a pot and turn the stove to high heat to simmer the water. Add your vinegar and mix with a spoon – the vinegar helps to keep your egg together in the water. Crack your egg into the water and poach it for about 2 minutes. You can cook more than one egg at a time, and if you want your eggs to be firmer cook them for up to 4 minutes. Place your toast on a plate, with the bacon on top; remove the eggs from the pot using a spoon, and drain any excess water, place them on top of your bacon and toast. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over them to taste.
Serving
Your breakfast is perfect and ready to be devoured – serve your porridge with sliced banana or berries for extra flavour and decoration. Tuck into your thick, crunchy French toast, drizzled with warm syrup/honey and sliced fruit. And to finish off, wolf down your healthy wholemeal toast, layered with crispy bacon and topped with your soft poached eggs; garnish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Don’t forget to wash down this amazing meal with a glass of freshly squeezed orange or sweet mango juice, or a lovely glass of milk.
Enjoy!!
Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.
You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com. Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.
Very unhealthy crap!
Very good looks out there, though. And i’m not talking about any of that food.
Disgusting!!
Uyu mwana alitumpa
Suntwe was Suntwe and Nostradamus. You wouldn’t know good food if it hit you in the face. Clearly not well travelled.
Kanta why are you encouraging such unhealthy meals? Surely poached eggs on ham or bacon… we should stay well clear of pork…I am sure even you wouldn’t touch this combination with a barge pole.
Common man to have such breakfast pa zed, kaya…
You people always like to harass Kanta about the food that she makes…its either its not Zambian enough, not poor enough, not helthy enough. You people just like to complain. Zambians you should be ashamed of yourselves. If you are too poor to eat this food then dont eat it and don’t comment don’t even read it. If you are too fat and concerned about your health then yes you know what to do – go away and start a diet, you are acting like you can’t control yourselves. It’s funny because you people complain about being too poor to afford this food, so you are saying you don’t have eggs, bread, mealie meal, water or milk? But yet you can afford bundles to come on the internet and onto lusaka times to leave your comment. And you – Suntwe wa Suntwe, can you not read how is this food…
Contined:…..unhealthy crap, so you think that mealie meal porridge is unhealthy? How are poached eggs unhealthy? How is brown bread unhealthy? How is honey unhealthy, water, milk, bananas, fruits? If you can’t afford it just say you can’t afford it, no need to insult the whole dish just because you clearly are too uneducated to read and clearly can’t afford the food. Please bring constructive criticism, don’t just be a typical Zambian who wants to pull people down because they simply are jealous and unhappy at people’s success. Afterall she is not just writing to cater to you specifically, and sometimes you might not like a dish that she does but you don’t have to be so hateful. Please you are embarassing us Zambians and giving us a bad name. People like you should be ashamed…
@Agnes – I too have worked in the kitchen when I was young and there is a saying that states – “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”Kanta is a professional chef not a housewife criticism is valuable feedback to her like she has stated and this enhances her profile as well ….this is not Facebook where Zambian ladies compliment their friend’s photos by saying the look wonderful when they look like they are covered in cow dung. You are simply not doing your friend justice are saying so.
Continued:….of yourselves. Well done mama Kanta, I personally love your recipes, and I will be sure to try out some of this, I love how you have added mealie meal porridge and given some suggestions to make it taste better, its a nice nutritious alternative to oats as well.
This looks very interesting my lady , i will give it a try .
Wow this is good . Looks very appetizing . For your next dish try something with pork . i have never know how to properly prepare pork .
Kanta,
Don’t let the haters and losers discourage you. That was a lovely breakfast by the way but some tastes are just too pedestrian to satisfy. You go girl. keep doing what you know best.
Kanta my sister . when you are good , you are good . This is good ,thanks for using porridge . Try to make more local zambian meals . Show the world what wonderful meals we have in mother Zambia .