There's a saying in Macedonia when something is easy to do, we say "Easy as boza". Well, it was not exactly "boza easy" to make boza :) The procedure is not difficult, but the fear that you will not achieve the right taste, will follow you until boza is ready the next day and until you try it. I was lucky enough to hit it at first, the taste was identical to the best boza in town. We drank it with pleasure, I got 3 liters, we drank 1 liter per day at home. I also had homemade baklava, a top combination. The measure for the cup is 250 g cup.
For those who don't know, boza is an Oriental fermented drink made of water, flour, sugar and yeast. Here you can find a good boza in 3-4 confectioneries in the city.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup corn flour - sifted
- 1 full cup sugar
- 3 liters of water
- 10 g fresh yeast
Preparation:
- First, place the sifted flour in a large saucepan over medium heat and bake dry. Stir constantly with a whisk for about 7-8 minutes until it starts to change its smell and color. Be careful not to burn the flour, it will ruin the taste of the boza. You will have to make the estimation yourself.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool. If you add water at this point, lumps will form. Therefore, it is left to cool, then the water is added.
- In the meantime, dissolve the yeast in a little warm water with very little sugar, leave to foam to activate yeast bacteria.
- When flour and the saucepan are cooled, pour the water in the saucepan and bring to boil, mix constantly with a whisk for a few minutes and when mixture starts to thicken a little, add 1 cup of sugar. Stir for another minute.
- The mixture should have a lower density than the boza you are used to drink. For those who don't know, boza has the density of an peach juice. So, if it's too thick, feel free to add water. The liquid thickens with standing, the next day it will be thicker than that you are currently seeing.
- The liquid prepared this way is set aside to cool. When it is already lukewarm, add the dissolved yeast, mix and cover with a cloth to sit until the next day. The temperature should be room temperature. If it is warmer, the boza will be ready in a shorter time and vice versa. Stir the liquid occasionally during fermentation. Bubbles will start to appear on the surface and it will get a sour smell specific to the boza - that's how it should be.
- The next day, try a little. If the sour taste has already been reached, then it is ready for collection. If it is too thick, add a little water, if it is not sweet enough for your taste, dissolve 1-2 tablespoons of sugar in a cup of warm water and add to the boza. Stir well and fill the bottles with boza. I got exactly 3 liter bottles.
- The bottles are stored in the refrigerator and the boza is served cold. It should be consumed in a few days, it does not last long. If you are making boza again soon, leave 1 cup of this boza as a starter, and don't add yeast to the new round of boza.
- Enjoy!
