Melkkos

According to the internet, Melkkos is a "milk-based South African dessert". Pfft. Anyone who has eaten Melkkos knows that this description falls miles short in describing the creamy, milky, comforting, cinnamony (is that even a word?) dish that is Melkkos.

Melkkos is a milk based dish which is either thickened with flour & butter crumbs or or with a dough which has been cut into strips. It is served with a generous helping of cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the top. The version with the dough strips is apparently the traditional way of preparing Melkkos, but the only recipes I've found have been the crumb version. Personally I've never eaten it as a dessert, but rather a light evening meal.

Most people have fond childhood memories of Melkkos, I managed to make it all the way to university without even knowing it exists! I can clearly remember booking my meals for the week at the eetsaal (dining room/cafeteria) one week and seeing this Melkkos thing on the menu and being utterly perplexed. It was love at first bite, after that I never missed a meal where Melkkos would be served, even if the accompanying food was of a more questionable nature... (eetsaal food isn't known for it's outstanding culinary accolades!)


After several years at university, I walked away with lots of life experience, great memories, a degree or two, many huisdans glasses and an eetsaal bowl that accidentally (*cough*) got packed in with the rest of my things. The portions we got were never as generous as in the photographs, and the Melkkos was never as good as a homemade batch, but I still love making Melkkos at home, taking out my borrowed bowl and reminiscing about the cold winter evenings back at res where I was first introduced to Melkkos.

Melkkos
Serves 4

• 1l Milk
  
• 15ml Butter
  
• 150ml Flour
  
• Pinch of Salt
  
• Cinnamon Sugar for serving
  

1. Rub the butter into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
   
2. Bring milk to a boil in a saucepan.
   
3. Once the milk has boiled, add the flour mixture and mix with a whisk. (don't worry about it being lumpy, that's how it's supposed to be!)
   
4. Cook the mixture until it has thickened, and remember to stir to prevent the base burning!
   
5. Serve immediately with a good sprinkling of cinnamon sugar!
   

Category: Cinnamon , Melkkos , Stellenbosch , Winter