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Madeeda (Sudanese warm millet and milk drink)
Madeeda dukhn: a thick, warming drink of pearl millet flour cooked with milk, sugar and spice
Thick enough to sip slowly from a glass but thinner than porridge, madeeda is a warming drink from northern Sudan made by cooking flour, often pearl millet, in milk and sweetening it with sugar or dates. Families make it on cool winter mornings, for anyone feeling under the weather and for new mothers, and it is a gentle way to break the fast in Ramadan. This version uses millet flour with cardamom and a little cinnamon, so it is smooth, nutty and lightly spiced. Lumps are the usual problem: whisk the flour into cold milk before it goes onto the heat. A frequent slip is not stirring enough, so the millet catches and the milk scorches. Chef's tip: for a date version, blitz 6 soft pitted dates with the milk and halve the sugar.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz gluten-free millet flourpearl millet (dukhn) flour, labelled gluten free
- 3 ¼ cups milk
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ghee (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Whisk the 2 ⅛ oz gluten-free millet flour into 250 ml of the 3 ¼ cups milk in a cold pan until completely smooth.
Step 2: Whisk in the rest of the milk and the ¾ cup water. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes until it starts to thicken.
5 minStep 3: Lower the heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until it coats the back of a spoon thickly and tastes cooked rather than floury.
9 minStep 4: Stir in the 3 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp ground cardamom and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and the 1 tbsp ghee if using. Pour into glasses and drink warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does madeeda (Sudanese warm millet and milk drink) take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 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 milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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