Fried Mush
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cornmeal cake
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.
Gradually stir in 20 ounces of cornmeal, cooking until thickened.
Pour the mixture into a greased tin pan, pressing it evenly.
Brush the top with melted lard to prevent crust formation.
Let it cool, then cut into blocks or slices.
Fry and serve
Fry the slices in a hot pan until golden brown.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Cornmeal
- Its starch thickens in boiling water and sets into a firm mass that holds its shape when cooled.
- Water
- Hydrates the cornmeal starch so it gelatinizes and thickens into a cookable mass.
- Melted lard
- Fat that prevents a crust forming on top and later helps the slices brown when fried.
The step that matters
Stir in the cornmeal gradually. Adding cornmeal slowly while stirring prevents lumps. The starch must fully hydrate and cook until thick; if it is undercooked, the mass stays soft and will not set firm enough to slice and fry.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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