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Kossam
Kossam: the cool, creamy Fulani milk of the Adamawa plateau, fresh or soured
Fulani herders of the Adamawa plateau measure hospitality in kossam: a calabash of cool milk offered to a guest after a long ride, or sold in Ngaoundéré's markets fresh in the morning and pleasantly soured by afternoon. Fresh kossam is simply creamy whole milk, sometimes sweetened, drunk cold with couscous or on its own as a light meal in the heat of the day. For the tangy soured style, stir two spoonfuls of live plain yoghurt into the milk, leave it somewhere warm for 8–12 hours until thickened, then chill. Traditionally it is made with raw milk; at home, always use pasteurised. Chef's tip: chill the milk for several hours and whisk the sugar in hard just before serving, which gives the light froth you see on calabash-served kossam.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups whole milkpasteurised, well chilled
- 2 tbsp sugaror to taste; leave out for the plain herders' style
- ice cubes (optional)
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Pour the cold 4 ¼ cups whole milk into a jug, add the 2 tbsp sugar and whisk hard for 1 minute until the sugar dissolves and a light froth forms.
1 minStep 2: Pour into a calabash or glasses over ice cubes and serve straight away.
Step 3: Keep any leftover covered in the fridge and drink within 2 days. Leaving kossam out in a warm room is the mistake to avoid: fresh milk sours unevenly and can spoil.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 185 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kossam take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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