Bagobe Jwa Lerotse (Sorghum Porridge with Cooking Melons)

Bagobe Jwa Lerotse (Sorghum Porridge with Cooking Melons) is a traditional Botswanan recipe for a classic accompaniment of a sorghum porridge flavoured with cooking melons and sour milk. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Botswanan version of: Sorghum Porridge with Cooking Melons (Bagobe Jwa Lerotse).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

50 minutes

Total Time:

70 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Vegetarian RecipesVegetable RecipesMilk RecipesBotswana Recipes

This recipe comes from my wife's collection of Southern African dishes. She is Nigerian originally, but has lived in Namibia and Botswana. I'm now beginning to raid her recipe collection to extend this site. Bagobe is the traditional Botswanan accompaniment to main meals. It can be made from sorghum meal (as here), maize meal or maize flour and millet flour. The basic method of cooking is to add the main starchy base into boiling water and to stir the mixture into a semi-soft paste. It is then left to cook slowly. Fermented meal is typically used for a breakfast version and as well as the basic porridge other ingredients such as greens and melons can be added to vary the flavour, colour and consistency. Here, cooking melon is used. This is a red-fleshed melon with a taste that is a little like slightly sour cucumber

Ingredients:

300g sorghum meal (bopi jwa mabele)
1/2 cooking melon (lerotse) peeled, de-seeded and cut into 3cm chunks
200ml sour milk (madila)
water

Method:

Half-fill a medium-sized pan with water. Bring to a boil then add the melon pieces, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the melon pieces are sufficiently tender that they can be puréed by whisking with a dowel.

At this point, slowly stir in the sorghum meal, taking care that lumps are not allowed to form. When all the sorghum meal has been added your mixture should be the consistency of porridge. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and allow to simmer gently for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is very thick.

Now add the sour milk, a little at a time, working into the porridge with your dowel. When all the sour milk has been incorporated and folded into the mixture bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes more, or until the bagobe has thickened enough to be easy to manipulate with your hand.

Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly then serve as an accompaniment.