Ask any Romanian about their favourite comfort food and tochitură will be near the top of the list. This rustic pork and sausage stew, cooked in a paprika and garlic sauce, is traditionally served with golden mămăligă (Romanian polenta), crumbled sheep's cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a fried egg on top. It is hearty, generous and perfect for autumn weekends.
You can make tochitură from scratch – or take a shortcut with ready-made Tochitură Moldovenească and focus on the perfect mămăligă.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the tochitură
- Shortcut: 1 pack Marcel Tochitură Moldovenească 500g or Marcel Tochitură 700g
- Or from scratch: 500g pork shoulder (cubed), 250g smoked sausage such as Cristim Cabanos, 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 100ml white wine
For the mămăligă
- 250g Bodrum Fine Polenta (cornmeal)
- 1 litre water, 1 tsp salt, 25g butter
To serve
- 200g Hochland Telemea Sheep Cheese, crumbled
- Piątnica Śmietana 18% sour cream
- 4 eggs
- Pickles or pickled peppers
How to make tochitură with mămăligă
- Make the tochitură. If using a ready-made pack, warm it gently in a pan. From scratch: brown the pork in oil, add the sliced sausage and onion, then the garlic, paprika and tomato paste. Pour in the wine and a splash of water, cover and simmer for 40 minutes until tender.
- Start the mămăligă. Bring the salted water to the boil. Pour in the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
- Cook it through. Turn the heat to low and stir with a wooden spoon for 15–20 minutes until thick and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Stir in the butter.
- Fry the eggs. Fry the eggs sunny side up in a little butter or oil.
- Plate up. Spoon a mound of mămăligă onto each plate, add the tochitură, scatter over the telemea, add a spoonful of sour cream and top with a fried egg.
Tips for perfect mămăligă
- Whisk while pouring – this is the secret to lump-free polenta.
- Keep stirring: mămăligă is ready when a wooden spoon stands up in it.
- Leftovers? Slice cold mămăligă and fry it in butter for breakfast.
Tochitură FAQs
What is the difference between mămăligă and polenta?
They are very similar – both are cornmeal porridge. Romanian mămăligă is usually cooked thicker and served as a firm side, like bread.
What cheese do Romanians use?
Traditionally brânză de burduf or telemea, a salty white brined cheese. Feta makes a good substitute.
Bring a taste of Romania home: shop tochitură, polenta, telemea and sour cream in our online Romanian and Moldovan grocery section.