AI-generated image
Lamugin (spiced ginger millet drink)
Lamugin: Northern Ghana's peppery ginger and millet cooler
Around Tamale and across Northern Ghana, lamugin is the drink that bites back: millet flour stirred into ginger water spiked with cloves, black pepper and chilli, then sweetened and served very cold. Sellers keep it in sachets or calabashes at markets and roadside stands, and it is handed round at gatherings and during Ramadan evenings. It is cloudy and slightly thick from the millet, with a sweet start and a long peppery warmth. This version is non-alcoholic and cooks the millet briefly so it tastes clean rather than raw. Chef's tip: pass the ginger water through a fine cloth before adding the millet, so the drink stays smooth instead of stringy.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 3 ½ oz fresh gingerpeeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 dried red chillismall; leave out for a mild drink
- 6 ¼ cups watercold
- 4 ½ oz sugaror to taste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ice cubes (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 3 ½ oz fresh ginger, 6 whole cloves, 1 tsp black peppercorns and 1 dried red chilli with 2 cups water (500 ml) until fine.
2 minStep 2: Strain through a muslin-lined sieve into a pan, squeezing hard, then add the rest of 4 ¼ cups water. Discard the pulp.
Step 3: Whisk 4 oz gluten-free millet flour into the cold ginger water until there are no lumps. Adding the flour to hot water is a common mistake: it seizes into lumps that will not whisk out.
Step 4: Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook gently until it thickens very slightly and no longer smells of raw flour.
6 minStep 5: Take off the heat, stir in 4 ½ oz sugar until dissolved, then 2 tbsp lemon juice. Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours.
Step 6: Stir well before serving, as the millet settles, and pour over ice cubes. Keeps 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 125 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lamugin (spiced ginger millet drink) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of whole cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Power packApple, pear, kiwi and celery juice
A sweet, energising juice of apples, pears and kiwi fruit with a stick of celery, all used unpeeled for extra goodness. It's naturally sweet, so it needs no sugar. Serve well chilled.
Guava delightGuava, mango and banana drink
A thick, fragrant blend of ripe guava, mango and banana, boosted with a spoonful of guava powder from the health shop. The book calls it a modern-day vitality drink, drawing on guava's long use in traditional Indian medicine. Serve it well chilled; sieve it if you don't like the little guava seeds.
PingadoHot milk with coffee
Order 'um pingado' at the balcão of any São Paulo padaria at 7 in the morning and the attendant pours hot milk into a ridged glass tumbler (the copo americano) and 'drips' in a splash of strong coffee, hence the name. It is milkier and gentler than a média (half coffee, half milk), creamy and lightly sweet, usually drunk standing up with a pão na chapa, a toasted buttered roll. At home you need strong filter coffee and milk heated until steaming. Scalding the milk is the frequent mistake, as boiled milk tastes flat and forms a skin. Chef's tip: froth the hot milk for a few seconds with a whisk or by pouring it back and forth between two jugs before adding the coffee, as padaria machines do.
Brazilian