Mamalyha (мамалига, Bessarabian Cornmeal with Bryndza)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A heavy 3 to 4 litre pot
• •A long wooden spoon
• •A whisk
• •A wooden board or wide platter
• •Clean cotton thread for slicing

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the water

   Choose a heavy pot, because thick cornmeal spits when it is annoyed. Bring the water to a proper boil, salt it, then lower the heat until it bubbles steadily but does not throw itself around. Oil a wooden spoon and keep it close.

   Salt lightly at first if your bryndza is fierce. The cheese finishes the seasoning at the table.
2. 2

   Rain in cornmeal

   Pour the cornmeal in slowly with one hand while whisking with the other, like rain falling into the pot, not a sack tipped over a wall. This is the step that decides the dish: each grain needs to swell in hot water before it grabs its neighbor, or you get hard little lumps that never quite forgive you.

3. 3

   Stir it thick

   Switch to the wooden spoon and stir over low heat, scraping the bottom and corners, until the raw cereal smell changes into sweet toasted corn and the spoon leaves a path that closes slowly. It will get heavy. Good. When it pulls from the sides in thick folds and the spoon must stand up straight, you are there.

   If it thickens before the grains taste cooked, beat in a splash of boiling water and keep going. If it is loose, cook a little longer. Mamalyha is strict about texture, not about your clock.
4. 4

   Rest and turn

   Cover the pot and let the mamalyha sit off the heat for a few minutes so it gathers itself. Rub a board or wide plate with sunflower oil, then tip the pot over in one confident movement. It should land as a golden mound, matte at the edges, soft enough to eat, firm enough to slice.

5. 5

   Cut with thread

   Slide a clean cotton thread under the mound, cross the ends over the top, and pull. No knife smears it this neatly. The thread cuts warm slices that can be lifted straight onto plates, and this little trick is why children remember mamalyha before they remember half the meal.

6. 6

   Finish the table

   Serve the slices at once with bryndza crumbled over them, spoonfuls of cold smetana, a gloss of unrefined sunflower oil, dill if you have it, and black pepper. The hot corn, the salty cheese, the cold sour cream: that is the whole argument, and it needs nothing clever from us.

Chef Tips

• •Use medium-fine cornmeal, not instant. Coarse cornmeal will work, but it wants more water and more patience or it stays gritty in the middle.
• •Bryndza should be salty and crumbly. If you cannot find it, a sheep milk feta or Bulgarian sirene works well; a bit more modern, not a crime.
• •The stirring step is the one that will not forgive neglect. Keep the heat low, use a long spoon, and scrape the corners so the bottom does not catch.
• •If the mamalyha slumps too softly when turned out, spoon it into bowls and call supper. Next time cook it thicker. Nobody goes hungry for the sake of geometry.
• •Leftover mamalyha is a gift. Slice it cold, fry it in unrefined sunflower oil, and eat it with more smetana or a fried egg.

Advance Preparation

• •Crumble the bryndza before you start stirring; once the mamalyha is ready, it wants to be served right away.
• •Mamalyha is best fresh, but leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 3 days and slice cleanly for frying.
• •If your bryndza is very salty, soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and crumble.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)