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Kunun aya (tiger nut drink)
Kunun aya: creamy, naturally sweet tiger nut milk blended with dates and coconut
Street sellers in Jos, Kaduna and Kano keep kunun aya cold in coolers, and on a hot afternoon a glass of the creamy, nutty milk is hard to beat. Tiger nuts, which are small tubers rather than nuts, are soaked until plump, blended with dates, fresh coconut and a little ginger, then strained. Dates do the sweetening, so most people add no sugar at all. Skimping on the soak is the most common mistake; dry tiger nuts give a thin, gritty drink, so soak them for at least 8 hours. Chef's tip: soak them in the fridge and keep everything cold, because the fresh milk sours quickly in the heat.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 5
Ingredients
- 9 oz dried tiger nuts
- 2 ⅞ oz pitted dates
- 3 ½ oz fresh coconut fleshchopped; or 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
- ⅓ oz fresh ginger (optional)peeled
- 5 cups cold water
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 9 oz dried tiger nuts well, cover with cold water and soak in the fridge for 8–12 hours, until plump and slightly soft when bitten. Soak 2 ⅞ oz pitted dates in a little warm water for the last 30 minutes.
Step 2: Drain the tiger nuts and put them in a blender with the dates and their water, 3 ½ oz fresh coconut flesh, ⅓ oz fresh ginger and half the 2 ½ cups cold water. Blend for 3 minutes until very smooth.
4 minStep 3: Add the remaining 2 ½ cups cold water and blend 30 seconds more.
1 minStep 4: Pour through a nut-milk bag or fine cloth into a jug, squeezing hard to get all the milk out.
8 minStep 5: Chill and serve cold, stirred well. Keep in the fridge and drink within 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kunun aya (tiger nut drink) take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 5 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.
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