Making umqombothi (Zulu traditional sorghum beer)

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, South Africa is on lockdown and alcohol sale and public consumption is strictly prohibited. So as a law abiding citizen I decided to make umqombothi. I posted the step by step-by-step instructions and process on Instagram @MeuJwara and on my facebook page as well. There are a few people who are not on social networks who have asked me for the recipe, so here it is.

Ingredients:
3x 500g Sorghum Malt
500g mealie meal
5L water

There's a series of steps that my mom taught me:
Making umqombothi Step 1:
Mix equal amounts of malted sorghum, 500g in my case and 500g mealie meal. Add cold water and work it into a paste consistency.
Add twice as much hot or boiling water to the paste by volume and stir for 2 minutes. Close the container tightly and store in a warm place overnight.

Step 2:
The next day, you will see that the mixture has separated into two, with a sour watery layer on top and the rest of the mixture at the bottom. when you open the lid of your container, the mixture will be slightly foamy.

Pour the watery top layer into a large sauce pan, and bring it to boil. Add the rest of the mixture and stir continuously until it start to boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer in a covered saucepan until it is thick and creamy(about an hour or two depending on the size of your mixture). Take off the heat and leave it to cool overnight.
{At this point, you could eat the cooked mixture as a delicious sour porridge. I add a pinch of salt and honey to make it extra yummy 😋

This is my favorite step for obvious reasons.}

Step 3:
Now that the cooked mixture has cooled overnight, you add twice the amount of malted sorghum (2x500g in my case) into the mixture and mix thoroughly.
Leave the mixture to ferment in a closed container. The lid mustn't be tight, we don't want an explosion!

Step 4:
I am not a fan of this step.

After a day or two (depending on how warm it is), when you open the lid a boozy smell will fill the space and your beer will be looking bubbly and when those bubbles pop they'll be sounding like cold drink in a glass.

Straining/filtering it is the final step.
Enjoy!