Contributor
Oct 9, 20231 min
Maas, or amasi, is traditionally made in a calabash, but you can use a glass jar with a lid or stopper.
Extract from Made With Love - Recipes and Memories from Nelson Mandela’s Personal Chef authored by chef Xoliswa Ndoyiya.
Makes: 1 litre
1 litre fresh cow’s milk (unpasteurised and refrigerated)
Pour the milk into a calabash or jar and seal with the stopper or lid, not too tight – the fermentation process will release gas, which could cause the vessel to burst if pressure builds up inside it.
Leave the milk to sit at room temperature until it has separated into curds (ingqaka) and whey (intloya).
In warm weather this will take 3–4 days, and in colder weather up to 10 days.
Remove the stopper and pour out and discard the whey (or keep to use separately), then serve.
It will keep for up to 14 days in the fridge.
Cook’s Note
Also known as ‘maas’, amasi is soured or fermented milk commonly used as a drink or as an accompaniment to umphokoqo (see recipe page 36). It is traditionally made in a calabash, a dried hollowed-out gourd that is commonly used in the preparation of African cuisine, but you can use a glass jar with a lid or stopper.
Made With Love: Recipes and Memories from Nelson Mandela’s Personal Chef. Photography by Cameron Gibb. Published by Blackwell&Ruth. Distributed by Bookstorm. Available in all good bookstores. Recommended Retail Price. R420.