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1
Make the Tomoso Starter
5 Mins + 24 Hours Fermenting
Warm room, 25–30°C (77–86°F)
Day one: put 20g of the sorghum flour in a clean glass jar and add 40ml of warm water, just enough to cover the flour. Stir to a thick paste, cover the jar loosely with a clean cloth, and leave it in a warm spot for 24 hours. By the next day it should smell pleasantly sour, like yoghurt, and show a few small bubbles.
A loose cloth cover lets gas escape while keeping dust out; never seal the jar tight.
Done when: Sour, yoghurt-like smell with a few bubbles on the surface.
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2
Mix the Slurry
5 Mins
Warm water, about 40°C (104°F)
Day two: put the remaining 180g of sorghum flour in a large clean bowl or pot. Pour in the 540ml of warm water a little at a time, whisking until you have a thin, smooth slurry with no dry pockets — about the thickness of single cream. Stir in the whole tomoso starter and the pinch of salt.
The traditional ratio is 1 part sorghum meal to 3 parts water; a thin slurry is correct — motoho is a gruel, not a stiff pap.
Done when: A smooth, thin, lump-free slurry that pours easily off the spoon.
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3
Ferment the Slurry
24 Hours
Warm room, 25–30°C (77–86°F)
Cover the bowl loosely with a clean cloth and leave it in a warm spot for 24 hours. In a warm kitchen the slurry turns pleasantly sour; in a cool kitchen it may need a few hours longer. Give it a stir once halfway through. If it smells sharply vinegary or shows any mould, throw it away and start again.
Taste a spoonful before cooking: it should be tangy like buttermilk, not bitter or foul.
Done when: A clean, tangy, sour-milk smell and a lightly bubbly surface.
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4
Cook the Motoho
25 Mins
Boil, 100°C (212°F), then simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Day three: pour the fermented slurry into a heavy pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly so it does not catch on the bottom. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often. It will thicken slightly but must stay thin and pourable — add a splash of hot water if it gets too thick. Stir in the sugar now if you are using it.
Never stop stirring in the first minutes after it boils — sorghum porridge catches and burns fast.
Done when: Smooth, glossy and pourable like thin custard, smelling warm and sour; no raw flour taste.
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5
Serve with Milk
5 Mins
Milk warmed to about 60°C (140°F), or cold
Ladle the hot motoho into bowls, about 185g per bowl, and pour 120ml of milk over each serving. The milk swirls into the brownish porridge and cools it to eating temperature. Serve at once, with a spoon.
Pour the milk at the table so each person can choose how much they want.
Done when: Hot porridge with cool milk pooling around the edges, ready to eat.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat motoho warm, straight from the bowl, stirring the milk through as you go. If the sourness is stronger than you like, a little more milk and a pinch of sugar soften it; if it is too mild, let the next batch ferment a few hours longer.
Lesotho
40m
Vietnam
France