Go Back
Microwave mieliepap in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon, steaming on an Australian kitchen bench
Gert

Microwave mieliepap

The ten minute microwave version of mieliepap, South Africa’s maize meal porridge. Four ingredients, one bowl, no pot to scrub and no constant stirring.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups white maize meal super grade for a smooth pap
  • 4 cups water 1 litre
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp butter

Method
 

  1. Put everything together in a large microwave-safe mixing bowl and give it a stir. Use a bigger bowl than feels necessary; pap swells as it cooks.
  2. Microwave for 10 minutes at full power.
  3. Take it out carefully (the bowl will be hot) and stir it through properly until smooth.
  4. Want a softer pap? Stir in a splash more water until it is the way you like it.
  5. Serve with a good tamatiesmoor, the South African tomato and onion relish, or under anything with gravy.

Notes

Adapted from a reel by Leone Smit. Pap is a ratio dish and South African recipes talk in cups: here it is 2 cups meal to 4 cups water (a South African cup is 250 ml). Microwaves vary in power, so check a minute or two early the first time; you can always give it longer. The stovetop ratios and the maize meal grades are a story of their own, coming to the site soon.