Mais Moulin Ak Zepina

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This delicious mais moulin ak zepina recipe comes together in a flash, thanks to a few simple ingredients. Serve it as a side dish with your favorite protein or stew to make it a meal.

This classic cornmeal and spinach dish is budget-friendly and so easy to make. This flavorsome Haitian Caribbean dish can be enjoyed as a main or a side and can easily be adapted to suit your tastes.

Cooked in one pot, it also makes for easy clean up at the end of the night.

Cornmeal

There are various types of cornmeal, though at your local grocery store, you are most likely to find steel-ground yellow cornmeal, or perhaps white cornmeal if you live in the South.

For this mais moulin with spinach (polenta with spinach), we used the coarse cornmeal also known in Haiti as mais grò grin, instead of the medium grind cornmeal.

In addition to being an inexpensive ingredient, cornmeal is also extraordinarily versatile, as it can be incorporated into recipes for breakfast, lunch, and supper.

Though you might know it as the main ingredient in cornbread, the key to a good consistency is to add the cornmeal slowly and mix well to ensure there are no lumps.

Tastewise, cornmeal, or Mais (Mayi) moulin is pretty bland on its own, but the combination of vegetables – like spinach, herbs, and spices in this Haitian dish will take it to a whole new level. This polenta cornmeal is budget-friendly and is super easy to prepare.

Spinach

This leafy green vegetable brings a real health kick to any meal. Not only is it a great source of protein and iron, but it’s also full of vitamins and minerals that are great for skin, hair, and bones.

The addition of spinach in this recipe makes it a particularly great meal for vegans and vegetarians.

They often need to make an extra effort to get all the iron they need (of course, if you are cooking for herbivores, make sure you use vegetable broth).

Spinach cooks down quite significantly, so don’t be alarmed if it seems like a lot – it will soon blend in with the cornmeal mixture, making it a great option for those who aren’t keen on their veggies. If you aren’t a spinach fan, feel free to use any other leafy vegetable in its place.

How to Make Mais Moulin Ak Zepina

The base flavor in this mais moulin ak zepina (polenta cornmeal) dish comes from the collaboration of the fresh spices in this recipe.

Cook the spinach, onions, and garlic in a heated hot pan.

The rest of the flavors are made up of a delicious blend of herbs and spices such as tomato paste, and parsley, that gives it a little extra boost.

Then add the chopped spinach and coarse cornmeal. Mix well, add the water, cover and cook. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking, and serve warm.

For depth of flavor, add thyme and rosemary which helps give the cornmeal an earthy, comforting flavor that is offset perfectly by the garlic, and onions. You may also add bell peppers.

As mentioned, this is a highly adaptable dish, so feel free to experiment with your seasoning – if you’re cooking for adults, add red pepper flakes into the mix for some delicious but subtle heat.

Make It A 15 Dollar Meal (Or Less)

Make this meal for $15 with these key ingredients assuming you already have our Jacmel and Saint-Marc spice blend as well as salt and pepper.

• Medium-grind cornmeal: $3.52
• Garlic bulb: $0.73 for each bulb
• Olive oil: $4.77
• Fresh spinach: 10 oz bag for $1.98
• Tomato paste (6 oz can): $0.98
• Fresh parsley: $0.98
• Yellow onion: $.086

The total cost for this recipe is: $13.82

Other Haitian Recipes To Try

If you looking for quick and easy Haitian recipe ideas that are fairly easy to make, try this Haitian Taco, or this plantain porridge, and or these Haitian patties. They are extremely delicious and will satisfy everyone in the family, especially the kiddos.

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