Besides the childhood nostalgia of a bowl of porridge in the morning or that perfect addition to a delicious braai, here are some other unusual ways in which you can enjoy maize meal:
1. Crispy white sneaks
A great way to get your canvas sneakers sparkling again is by making a paste of water and mealie pap. Rub the mixture on to your washed sneakers, sprinkle with dry mealie meal and put them in the sun to dry. Apparently the pap draws out all the dirt, and you are left with clean shoes.
2. Pap chips better than slap chips
Have you ever? Pap chips can be a great alternative to the usual potato chips.
Ingredients:
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
A handful of parsley
1 teaspoon of green onion spice.
Method:
Cook the maize meal according to the packet instructions. You’ll want the consistency to be soft enough to mould with your hands. When cooked, spread the pap with the back of a spoon on a greased baking tin and leave to set. When cooled, cut into thick julienne pieces and deep fry. Julienne just means you are cutting long pieces. Drain the oil on a paper towel and enjoy your pap chips.
3. Deep-fried banana treat
Here’s a yummy delight I found on acemaizemeal.co.za.
Ingredient:1 cup flour1 cup mealie meal1 cup sugar1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground nutmeg1 egg, large, lightly beaten1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla essenceVegetable oil5 bananas, cut into 1.5cm-thick slices
Method:
In a small bowl, combine flour, mealie meal, sugar, salt and ground nutmeg. In a large bowl, combine the egg, oil, milk and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, stirring often. Line a plate with paper towels. Fill a pan with oil and heat up. Dip each banana slice in the batter and allow excess to drip off. Place in oil and fry for one to two minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove to prepared plate. Dust with icing sugar.
Serve with caramel sauce, chocolate sauce or ice cream.