If you want to whip up a traditional boerekos treat, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For many, it’s the classic Melkkos (Milk Food) dish which has been a staple treat in South African homes for decades. Melkkos is served as a warm light meal or a dessert. What’s special about Melkkos is that it’s a dish to be enjoyed all year round. Sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top, and nothing could be more delectable!

The history of Melkkos is pretty interesting. It’s the Afrikaans version of a Cape Malay pudding based on an Indonesian dish! Traditionally, when Cape Malays came to South Africa, they introduced the dessert which was learned from their ancestors in Indonesia, India, and East Africa.  The Cape Malay name for Melkkos is Boeber, and it’s made from milk and flour. From simple ingredients, this flavourful and fragrant dessert dish is born (and thoroughly enjoyed across South Africa). Melkkos doesn’t just warm you up on a cold winter’s night – it warms your soul!

In true South African form, we’d like to South Africanise this dish even more by whipping up a Melkkos potjiekos. Of course, we have our favourite recipe to share with you.

 

How to make Melkkos potjie

Now that you know what we have up our sleeve, you’re probably dying to find out how to go about making your own traditional boerekos Melkkos. As far as South African food goes, this dish is top-notch! Without much further ado, we present you with our favourite Melkkos recipe. Our recipe serves 4 to 6 people.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYjsajl_4Ag

 

What you need

To get started, you need to gather a few very basic ingredients. Here’s what you need to get:

• 100 g of sugar
• 1 and ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 90 g of cake flour
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 and ½ litres of milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt to taste (just a pinch)

 

What to Do

Now that you have everything you need let’s get to work cooking up a Melkkos potjie storm.

• In a small bowl, mix the ground and cinnamon together.
• In a large bowl, using your hands, rub the flour, butter, and salt together until it creates a crumbly consistency.
• Add 3 tablespoons of sugar to the mixture and continue rubbing the ingredients together with your fingers.
• Place your potjie pot over a medium heat fire. Pour in the milk, and then place the cinnamon stick into it. Bring to boil. This should bring out the flavour of the cinnamon stick.
• When the milk becomes frothy and is bubbling, allow it to simmer for a few minutes.
• Slowly add the crumbled butter and flour mixture to the milk while whisking.
• Continue whisking while the mixture boils and bubbles. You should continue whisking for around 10 minutes. Do not stop whisking as the mixture may go lumpy.
• Remove the potjie pot from the fire and allow the mixture to rest for about 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle generous amounts of ground cinnamon and sugar on top of each serving of Melkkos.

Of course, Melkkos can be made in different ways. If you want to have a milkier Melkkos, add more milk and less flour during the cooking process. Also, it is essential that you are generous when sprinkling cinnamon and sugar onto each serving – this is what makes Melkkos, well…Melkkos.

 

Adding a bit of interest to your Melkkos potjie

Over the years, different variations of Melkkos have made it into the recipe books of South Africans. If you want to spruce up your recipe and try something new, try some of the following options:

• Lay peaches onto a baking tray, drizzle with honey, and grill until the peaches start to caramelize. Serve these with your Melkkos for a taste sensation!
• Infuse the milk with a flavour that you love. Many people opt to try almond essence, replacing a part of the milk with coconut cream, vanilla, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon.
• Add cocoa powder to the milk mixture for a chocolate Melkkos treat.
• Make burnt caramel to drizzle over the Melkkos serving. To do this, heat a ¾ cup of sugar and 50ml of water until the colour turns deep amber. Stir in 50 g of salted butter and 150 ml of cream and allow to simmer. Set aside and drizzle over the dessert when you’re ready to serve.
• Add a bit of pizazz to your Melkkos by adding a ½ cup of rum when boiling the milk mixture.

Try one or all of these options – you won’t be disappointed!

 

Emigrating from South Africa? Let’s chat about your tax and financial emigration obligations

While living abroad, you probably miss the tastes and sights of home. It’s great news that you can whip up a South African recipe wherever you are in the world. Comfort food, some call it. That said, one thing you can’t overlook is the importance of handling your tax and financial emigration timeously when moving from SA to another country.

At FinGlobal, we understand how the excitement (and stress, mind you) of relocating can lead to overlooking essential parts of the process. If you haven’t finalised your tax and financial emigration yet, and if you’re unaware of how it works when you want to withdraw your pension overseas, it’s time for you to chat with a friendly and knowledgeable consultant at FinGlobal. Our team is well-known for providing premier advice and guidance to South African expats all across the globe. Whether you want hands-on assistance or simply to gather advice, our team is standing by to assist.

All you have to do is contact us for further guidance. You can give us a call on +27 28 312 2764 or email us at info@finglobal.com today.