
The blog turns 1 year today and what better way to celebrate than with…you guessed it; UMQOMBOTHI! So far, the blog has been a gloriously chaotic ride during which we explored topics that are relevant to Africans and people who are curious about Africa. Umqombothi is a traditional African beer for all occasions and today, as we celebrate A Blog Like No Other’s first birthday, I will share my aunt’s recipe for Umqombothi.
You need these utensils:
25 lt bucket
2 Imiphongolo (Large containers for liquids, 40 lt or so. You can use buckets if you don’t have large containers.)
The largest pot you have in your house
Ivovo (sieve)
Ukhamba (calabash) to serve the beer

You need these ingredients:
5 kg mealie meal
2 kg umthombo wombila (maize malt)
4 kg umthombo wamabele (wheat malt)
Cold water
Boiling water
It takes 4 days to make umqombothi using this recipe but don’t worry, your life won’t come to a standstill. Let’s get started.
Day 1
- Mix 5 kg mealie meal, 2 kg maize malt and 1 kg wheat malt in the 25 lt bucket.
- Add cold water to reach ¾ level of the bucket and add 1 kettle of boiling water.
- Mix all the ingredients together and place lid on the bucket.
- Leave the mixture to ferment overnight on a mat in a warm room.

Day 2
- The mixture should be slightly foamy at the top due to fermentation.
- Stir the mixture to mix the ingredients resting at the bottom of the bucket.
- Fill the large pot with some water and heat it to boiling point.
- Slowly add the fermented mixture to the boiling water until it forms the same texture as that of porridge.
- Repeat step 5 until all the fermented contents of the bucket are cooked.
- Leave the cooked porridge in the large container and allow to cool for the rest of the day and overnight.
Day 3
- Add the remaining 3 kg wheat malt to the cold porridge mixture and stir the ingredients together.
- Leave the cold porridge and wheat malt mix in the large container to ferment overnight on a mat in a warm room.

Day 4
- On the morning of day 4, the mixture should have a thick, rich foamy layer on top.
- Stir the ingredients and brace yourself for one last bout of hard labour.
- Ivovo is a woven sieve and it is ideal for brewing umqombothi. Fill it with the mixture and twist to strain the liquid into the second large container.
- Empty the sieve of the grains and repeat step 3 until all the mixture is strained.
- Leave to ferment for the rest of the day. The beer will be ready to serve in the evening at the earliest but is best served the following morning.

Tips:
- Cooking the porridge mix for umqombothi on an electric stove will skyrocket your electricity bill. It is cheaper to use a wooden fire to cook.
- If you cook the mixture on an open flame, coat the exterior of the pot with mud or a soapy paste to make it easy to clean when you are finished using it.
- Place the bucket or container on a mat to prevent contact with the cold floor which slows down fermentation. Also, the mat will keep the floor clean.
- Ask someone to help you handle the large pot of hot porridge on Day 2 to avoid burn accidents.
- Invite friends to help you on Day 4. Straining umqombothi is a lot of work but it’s a good way to hang out with the girls and catch up on gossip.
- My aunt thinks this is an insult to people who have perfected the craft of making umqombothi but I will share this tip with you anyway. If you are not sure that things are going as they should be on the morning of Day 4, add 1 lt of Juba or Joburg Beer to the cold porridge and wheat malt mix. Juba and Joburg Beer are the commercial versions of umqombothi. This will get your brewing process back on track.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you make umqombothi.
Thank you for visiting and following the blog this past year, making it truly A Blog Like No Other! 🙂
Thank you all for visiting and following A BLOG LIKE NO OTHER, and this post in particular. In this video insert, the blog actually shows you how to brew UMQOMBOTHI. Thank you again for following the blog.
Thank you all for visiting and following A BLOG LIKE NO OTHER, and this post in particular. This Sunday, we are posting a video on how to brew umqombothi. We hope you’ll find it useful, and of course, we’d like you to share it too. Watch the promo here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sec-5-DijYI&feature=youtu.be Thank you again for following the blog.
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hi,i need a small quantity recipe because i’m only making 5L for a prayer
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Yhoh! Thank you so much for this! you have no idea how you just saved my life.
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Awesome. Loved it…
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Thank you, you’re a life saver
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Thank you very much… you saved us all… I’m so excited all over, I’m starting tomorrow, 5th December 2017. I’m feedback.
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Thank you so much for the recipe. I will invite you all soon to share my umqhomboti!
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Wow guys i really like this coz ngingumuntu wa madlozi.luv u lots
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Thanks guys you have saved me the embarrassment from mamazale
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I have started today with a first thing,in the morning I’ll do case 2 it my first time my mom use to do this ngingananki now she’s has past away last year I have to do it my self for umsebenzi wakhe,wish everything goes well with my traditional beer,,ei but it take’s 4 days yoooh😥anyway thank u for the information it really help’s
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Thank you Ntokozo. I will never again rely on people to help me with mqombothi and expect favours thereafter
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Thank you besengisangene and i hate begging people or asking for help. i will start the process today
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This blog really helped. Thank you my mqombothi came out perfectT
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Thanks a lot I will never rely on my sisters and friends.
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Yo its a process, but i’ll try.
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Thank you very much for the solution for making umqombothi
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thank you but I’ ve made a mistake isidudu sam ndisipheke ngo5am today then 5 pm ndasivubela so andazi maar ke next tym kuzolunga .
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Thank u very much I was so disparete thank you
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Thank you for the recipe. Ngenzela indodakazi yami umemulo bengingazi nokuthi ngizoqalaphi!!! 🙂
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THANK YOU MY DEAR NOW I CAN MAKE MY OWN UMQOMBOTHI
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THIS IS MUCH BETTER MY HUSBAND WANT TO INVITE OUR RELATIVES SO I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO IT. I WILL START TODAY.
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Now that i know how to make my own mqombothi bazongazi dadewethu ka baba impela
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Thanks guys for info!
I will start 2moro
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