Papa Maizena! yep, THAT porridge, the one your portuguese or brazilian mother made whenever the mood struck her, usually on weekends, because let’s be honest, nobody has time for porridge during the week. This is a classic weekend sweet and an easy creamy porridge, very common in Portugal for years, and it’s so Portuguese that the porridge got tied to the brand itself, with the “recipe” printed right on the box for generations hehehe.
Now, there are a lot of variations out there, some with egg yolks, some with all sorts of flavorings like vanilla, but this one I would say is the most common, no egg, no big flavorings, just milk, a little sugar, lemon peel and cinnamon. Technically speaking this is a cornstarch porridge, but that sounds way too technical, doesn’t it? It’s a “papa maizena”, everybody knows what it is, and whoever doesn’t like it… well… doesn’t have to eat it! heheheeh ;D
And the best part? It’s a simple thing, its not too sweet, its creamy and delicious, and oh so so very nostalgia inducing for any Portuguese person. One spoonful and suddenly you’re back in your grandma’s kitchen, still in your pajamas, waiting for someone to say it’s ready… Let’s get to the recipe! ;D
Creamy Classic Portuguese No Egg Cornstarch Porridge • Papa Maizena
Oh this is the traditional Portuguese recipe for cornstarch porridge, also known as ´Papa Maizena´ or ´Mingau´ in Brazil, this is the most typical version, made without adding egg yolks or eggs.
Ingredients
- Cornstarch – 40g (Maizena)
- Light Brown Sugar – 50g
- Milk – 500ml (Semi-Skimmed, Room Temperature)
- Lemon – 1 Strip of Zest
- Cinnamon – 1 stick
- Cinnamon – For Sprinkling
Directions
- Add the cornstarch to the sugar, followed by a little of the milk, and mix well to completely dissolve the cornstarch.
- Place the remaining milk on the stove with the lemon peel and cinnamon stick, then add the milk, sugar, let it heat up a bit on medium heat, to get warm, but not high temperatures, and of course no boiling.
- Then add the cornstarch slurry mixture and stir well.
- Now, over medium-low heat, keep stirring and let the mixture slowly begin to thicken.
- When it starts to thicken, lower the heat and keep stirring until it reaches your preferred consistency, I like mine super creamy, so I cook it a bit longer, just keep in mind that it will thicken a little more after you take it off the heat.
- And that’s it, simple as that. Serve with a dusting of cinnamon on top, if you try dusting it with anything else… I’ll be grumpy hehehe just kidding. Enjoy!
If you take it to the fridge to cool down it will thicken, but it wont become a pudding, it will be more like a custard consistency.
Traditionally white sugar is used, not light brown, but in my house it was always light brown sugar, so here it is 😛 If you can’t find it, brown sugar is the closest thing. Or use any sugar you want!
Some people make it without the cinnamon stick (weaklings ;D cinnamon is like olive oil, the more the better), and add vanilla, honey or chocolate, that is absolutely fine, my tip is just to choose one a stick with it, tastes much better if its the sweet porridge with just another flavouring, not 10!
When the porridge starts to thicken, you have to decide how thick you like it. In my opinion, and if it’s your first time, the best thing is to take it off the heat about 1 minute after it starts to thicken, taste it, and decide if you want it thicker next time, then adjust. Don’t forget that even off the heat the mixture keeps thickening, so the creaminess level is something you figure out with time and experience, just like your dear old mom, who didn’t even need to stir or anything (she did… she did I’m joking)! ;D
And speaking of stirring, if you cook too fast or don’t stir continuously, you’ll feel the bottom catching and curdling. In that case, don’t scrape the bottom, just keep stirring without scraping, and use a spatula. That way the porridge will still turn out fine. Scraping the bottom means mixing burnt porridge into the good stuff and ruining everything!
Also as i was a kid, sometimes it came out a big lumpy, of course you can use a hand blender and make it smooth, but a bit lumpy… is ok… this is a porridge, we are not pointing at perfecting, the goal is yummyness (is that a word?).
Papa Maizena is delicious freshly made, but it’s also really good cold, so whatever is left, put it in little cups and refrigerate, then sprinkle with cinnamon when serving.
If you want the egg version, once the mixture on the heat starts to cool down to lukewarm, whisk one or two yolks separately in a bowl, take a little of the warm liquid and add it to the bowl with the egg yolks, and mix well to slowy heat up the egg. Keep adding a bit more of the warm liquid until the yolks are well mixed and warm, then pour the yolk mixture back into the pot over the heat and stir constantly so the yolks don’t curdle, until thickened, the result is a creamyer eggyer version…
Also, important to add, please dissolve the cornstarch in the cold (or room temperature, about 68ºF / 20ºC) milk first, and don’t skip this part. That’s what keeps you from ending up with lumps. If you do get a few, a quick pass through a fine mesh strainer saves the day.
Use a heavy-bottomed pot if you have one. It spreads the heat more evenly and makes it much easier to avoid the dreaded sticking.
Use a vegetable peeler to take off the lemon peel, and try to avoid the white pith, which is bitter.
Whole milk makes it even creamier, and plant-based milks work too, though the flavor changes a bit, i kinda dont, but it should work just fine!
This recipe for Creamy Classic Portuguese No Egg Cornstarch Porridge • Papa Maizena was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Papa Maizena sem Ovo foi publicada em português no Iguaria.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 264 calories; 4 g fat; 48.6 g carbohydrates; 8.6 g protein.Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how it turned out for you! You can leave a comment below ;D
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