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Kunun tsamiya
Kunun tsamiya: Hausa thin millet drink soured with tamarind
When the Ramadan fast breaks in Kano and Katsina, gourds of warm kunun tsamiya appear on mats beside dates and kosai: a thin, pourable millet porridge-drink, tart from tamarind (tsamiya), warmed with ginger and cloves and sweetened to taste. It is soothing, slightly sour and very filling, and Hausa mothers also give it at breakfast in the cold harmattan months. The mistake is pouring the millet paste into water that isn't boiling, which leaves it raw-tasting and lumpy; it must go into a rolling boil while you stir. Chef's tip: stop when it just coats the back of a spoon; kunun keeps thickening as it cools and should stay drinkable.
- Total time
- 390 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz pearl milletsoaked in water for 6 hours
- 1 oz fresh gingerpeeled
- 4 cloves
- ¼ tsp dried chilli (optional)
- 2 ⅞ oz tamarind pulp (tsamiya)
- 1 ¼ cups hot waterfor the tamarind
- 5 cups water
- 2 ⅞ oz sugarto taste
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Soak 7 oz pearl millet for 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
360 minStep 2: Blend the millet with 1 oz fresh ginger, 4 cloves, ¼ tsp dried chilli and 400 ml of 1 ¾ cups water until very smooth, then pass through a fine sieve, pressing the paste through. Discard the bran.
5 minStep 3: Soak 2 ⅞ oz tamarind pulp (tsamiya) in 1 ¼ cups hot water for 15 minutes, squeeze it with your fingers and strain, discarding the seeds and fibres.
15 minStep 4: Bring the rest of 3 ¼ cups water and the tamarind water to a rolling boil in a large pan.
5 minStep 5: Stir the millet paste and pour it into the boiling liquid in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Keep whisking over a medium heat for 3–5 minutes until it thickens slightly and turns glossy.
5 minStep 6: Take off the heat, stir in 2 ⅞ oz sugar and taste. Serve warm in cups, or chilled; it keeps for 2 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kunun tsamiya take?
- About 390 minutes in total: 370 minutes to prepare and 20 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.
- 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 cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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