Cheers to Heritage month!

The drinks that we serve with African food are dear to us. It’s not an umcimbi until the umqombothi has been brought out, and the urban equivalent of this is gemmer. Most people would argue that these dishes and beverages should stay the same, but where is the fun in that? Foodie influencer Purity Mvelase has updated the classic recipes.

Vanilla umqombothi

Ingredients

1 kg King Korn Mthombo Malt

2 cups maize meal

2 cups sorghum

12 litres water

1/2 cup brown sugar

Method

• Mix half the malt with the maize meal and sorghum in a bowl. Add 2 litres of boiling water and stir until you have a smooth paste.
• Set aside to cool, cover with a lid, and leave overnight in a dark, warm place to begin fermenting.
• Pour 4 litres of the remaining water into a large pot. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and add the fermented mixture, stirring constantly.
• Place back on the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until boiling.
• Continue cooking the mixture for an hour, until thick. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool, then transfer to a large bucket.
• Add 6 litres of the remaining cold water, mix in the remaining Mthombo and the brown sugar. Cover with a lid and set aside for three days to ferment.
• On the third day the fermented mixture will have a pungent smell and tiny bubbles will appear on the surface. Pour the beer through a fine-mesh sieve. Using your hands, press the liquid through the sieve until it is smooth.
• Allow to rest for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Gemmer

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

7 cups cold water

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp instant yeast

1 lemon, juiced

Method

• Heat sugar and one cup of water in a saucepan, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved without coming to a boil.
• Add the ginger, cream of tartar, and yeast, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and is slightly golden in colour.
• Mix this syrup with the remaining water and transfer to a bottle(s).
• Place in a warm place for two days, check the bottles every couple of hours by unscrewing the lid and allowing excess gas to escape.
• Strain, chill, and add the lemon juice.
• Serve with fresh lemon slices and crushed ice.