A tangy fermented porridge made from sorghum or maize meal, traditionally left to sour overnight. This thick, creamy drink-food is a breakfast staple across Lesotho, prized for its probiotic qualities and sustaining energy in the highland cold.
Ingredients
2 cups sorghum flour
1 cup maize meal
8 cups water
1/4 cup reserved motoho starter or sour porridge from previous batch
Sugar to taste (optional)
Instructions
1Mix sorghum flour with 3 cups warm water in a vessel
2Add starter culture and stir well
3Cover and leave in a warm place overnight to ferment
4Next morning, bring 5 cups water to a boil
5Gradually stir in the fermented mixture
6Cook on medium heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring constantly
7The porridge should be thick and tangy
8Serve warm, sweetened if desired
Did You Know?
Motoho is often the first food given to weaning babies in Lesotho. Grandmothers carefully guard their fermentation starters, passing them down through generations as living heirlooms.