Cornmeal Porridge with Sirene & Paprika Butter (Kachamak)

30 min · Easy · Serves 1

630 kcal per serving · 21g protein

Kachamak is the Bulgarian grandmother's breakfast: cornmeal whisked into boiling salted water and stirred until it is thick enough to pull away from the pot. Spooned into bowls, it gets a generous layer of crumbled sirene and a pour of hot paprika butter, with cool yogurt on the side. Cheap, filling and naturally gluten-free.

Ingredients

• 300 ml Water
• 2 g Salt
• 70 g Fine cornmeal
• 75 g Sirene (Bulgarian white brine cheese)
• 15 g Butter
• ½ tsp Sweet paprika
• 100 g Bulgarian yogurt, to serve

Method

1. Boil the salted water

   Bring the water and salt to a boil in a heavy pot over high heat, about 5 minutes, until big bubbles break across the whole surface.

2. Whisk in the cornmeal

   Turn the heat down to medium and pour the cornmeal into the boiling water in a thin, steady stream with one hand, whisking hard with the other, for about 1 minute until all the cornmeal is in.

3. Stir until thick

   Switch to a wooden spoon, turn the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every minute and scraping the bottom, until the kachamak is very thick, glossy and pulls away from the sides of the pot.

4. Make the paprika butter

   Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat for 2 minutes until the butter foams, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika.

5. Spoon into bowls

   Spoon the hot kachamak into warm bowls and crumble the sirene over the top.

6. Pour over the paprika butter

   Pour the hot paprika butter over the sirene and kachamak and serve at once, with the yogurt on the side.

More to cook

• Panagyurishte Style Eggs30 min
• Crustless Spinach & Sirene Bake42 min
• Bulgarian Mince & Cheese Toasts33 min
• Baked Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Polenta50 min