In the book Poor Economics, the authors explore the idea of the poverty trap and how it affects people across the world. In this blog, we review Poor Economics and its lessons on how to break the cycle of poverty.
How to Make Thobwa
Malawian Recipes
Everyone in Kasese knows Maness Nkhoma for the tasty thobwa she sells at Kasese Trading Center. Maness is a participant in the Orant Charities Africa Financially Empowering Microloans for Women Program. Want to learn how to make her thobwa? Keep reading!
“I love Maness’s thobwa,” says Shanif Aladi, one of Maness’ customers. “It’s delicious! And it gives me energy. My nature of work requires so much energy and a bottle of thobwa keeps me going.”
Thobwa is a traditional Malawian drink.
It’s made from fermented cornflour, sorghum, and water. It can be served hot or cold. Apart from being a yummy treat, thobwa is also a nutritious energy drink. It looks milky and has a cereal-like taste.
Ingredients
- water
- maize flour
- sorghum flour
- sugar (optional, depends on preference)
How to Make Thobwa: Maness’ Recipe
Day 1:
- Start with making corn flour porridge. Put 20 liters of water in a big pot and place it on a fire. Once the water is warm, add 3kgs of corn flour to the water. Stir frequently until the mixture is thick and starts boiling. Leave the porridge to boil for 1 hour, then take it off the fire.
- Leave the porridge to cool for 2 hours. Then add 3 kgs of sorghum flour whilst stirring frequently.
- Next, leave the mixture overnight. Stir at 1 hour intervals.
Day 2:
- Put the mixture back on the fire. Let it boil for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- Take the mixture off the fire. It is ready to serve!
Maness finishes her preparation by pouring the thobwa into 500 ml bottles. She sells each bottle for 100 kwacha.
Before drinking thobwa, shake the bottle thoroughly. Otherwise, the maize and sorghum flour mixture will settle to the bottom.
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Learn how to make nsima, Malawi’s staple food, here!
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