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Rouy
Rouy (ruy): smooth Senegalese millet porridge with milk and nutmeg
In Dakar, Saint-Louis and the Gambia, rouy is a morning porridge of fine millet flour cooked in water until silky, then sweetened and loosened with milk or lait caillé (soured milk) and a grating of nutmeg. During Ramadan it is a favourite at ndogou, the evening fast-breaking, because it is gentle and filling. The common mistake is under-cooking: millet needs a good 25–30 minutes or it tastes raw and slightly bitter. Choose millet flour from a mill that doesn't handle wheat if you need it strictly gluten free. Chef's tip: a spoon of orange-blossom water or vanilla stirred in at the very end makes it taste like a Dakar breakfast stall.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold water
- 3 cups water
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ½ oz sugar
- 1 cup whole milkor plain soured milk
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 4 oz fine millet meal (millet flour) into 1 cup cold water until smooth.
Step 2: Bring 3 cups water and 1 pinch salt to the boil, lower the heat and pour in the millet mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 3 minutes.
3 minStep 3: Simmer over a low heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until smooth, glossy and no longer tasting gritty or raw. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick to stir.
30 minStep 4: Stir in 2 ½ oz sugar and 1 cup whole milk and warm through for 2 minutes.
2 minStep 5: Take off the heat, stir in ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and 1 tsp vanilla extract or orange-blossom water, and serve warm, or chilled in summer.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rouy take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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