Estonian recipe
How to make Mulgi porridge
mulgipuder
Mulgimaa, in southern Estonia
Mashed potatoes cooked together with pearl barley and topped with fried pork. It is simple, filling farm food from the south.
Ingredients
- 150 g pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
- 200 g smoked streaky bacon or pork belly, diced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 30 g butter
- Salt
Method
- Put the barley in a large pot with about 1 litre of salted water and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and a little more water if needed, so that everything is just covered. Cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes and barley are soft.
- Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a pan until golden, then add the onion and fry gently until soft and lightly browned.
- Drain off most of the remaining cooking water, keeping a little. Mash the potatoes and barley together with the butter, adding some of the cooking water to make a soft porridge. Season with salt.
- Serve in bowls with the hot bacon, onion and fat spooned over the top.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
The name means 'porridge of the Mulks', the people of the Mulgimaa region, where a lot of barley is grown.
Take the trip to Estonia
