Kunu drink is a popular Nigerian delicacy. Thanks to its unusual texture, low quantities of sugar, and numerous health benefits, the kunu drink recipe is carefully passed from generation to generation. Check out top 3 methods for how to make kunu – Hausa drink that everyone likes!
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1. How to make kunu zaki
The best known recipe for kunu refers to kunu zaki. The main ingredient of this dish is millet. Here are the ingredients you will need for the classic kunu recipe:
- Millet – 3 cups
- Water – 2 litres
- Sweet potato – 1/2
- Ginger – 2 pieces
- Cloves – 1tbsp
- Black peppercorns – 1tbsp
- Sugar – to taste
Follow these steps to learn the traditional kunu drink preparation:
- Wash the millet in cool water several times before the grains are completely free and there are no debris.
- Cover the millet with water and leave to soak overnight.
- Chop the sweet potato into small pieces. Peel and chop the ginger.
- Put the millet, sweet potato, ginger, peppercorns and cloves into a blender or food processor. Blitz until the mixture is smooth and there are no large pieces.
- Add a little cold water to the mixture and sieve it into a large bowl. Leave the bowl out for up to 5 hours. Then scoop out the thick mass on top of the mixture.
- Divide the contents of the bowl into 1/3 and 2/3. Boil some water and add 4 parts of boiling water to 1 part of the 2/3 of the slurry. Add 3 parts of cold water to 1 part of the 1/3 of the slurry.
- Combine the two liquids, add sugar to taste, stir well, and serve.
If you’ve always wanted to know how to make thick kunu, use this recipe and use less water in the final part of the cooking process.
2. How to make kunu aya
The name of the kunu aya drink may sound closely related to the traditional kunu drink, but in reality these two recipes are very different. To prepare kunu aya, you will need the following ingredients:
- Tiger nuts – 3 cups
- Dates – 10
- Milk and 1/2 flesh from a coconut
- Ginger – 1 piece
- Honey or other sweetener to taste
Wondering how to make kunu drink with tiger nuts? Follow these steps:
- Wash the tiger nuts, remove any debris, and soak in cold water overnight to make them soft and remove any bitterness.
- In the morning, rinse the tiger nuts and set them aside.
- Chop up the dates, ginger, and coconut flesh. Put everything into a blender or food processor, add the tiger nuts, and blitz until the mixture is smooth.
- Add a little quantity of water and sieve the paste into a bowl.
- Pour the mixture into a blender, add half of the coconut milk, and blitz. Add the remaining coconut milk and blitz again.
- Taste your kunu aya – it may already be sweet enough for your taste. If not, add some honey or another sweetener you prefer.
- Serve kunu aya chilled!
3. How to make kunu geda
Kunu geda, or kunun gyada, is another popular version of the kunu recipe. Unlike the previous two versions of the drink, it’s very thick and can even pass for a delicious and nutritious breakfast.
The thickness of kunu geda comes from rice, and the signature nutty flavour is the result of using groundnuts in the recipe. Find out how to prepare kunu geda from this video:
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