Nigeria is a the most populous black nation in the world with about 200million + citizens and many of us agree that Kunu Zaki is a delicious beverage that should be enjoyed cold.

Kunu originated from/was typically enjoyed in Northern Nigeria. But in recent times, Nigerians from all parts of the country and Africans in general now enjoy kunu because of its amazing health benefits.

As I continue with today’s blog post, I will like to state that you can find video recipes on my youtube channel here

Kunu zaki is a healthy drink made from millets. Millet is a gluten-free grain that is commonly consumed in porridge form, in drinks or beverage form, or grounded too powder and made into swallow.

Millets are very nutritious as they contain high proteins, fibre and antioxidants all of which are necessary for healthy living.

But without digressing further, If you would like to know more about the health benefits and the downsides of consuming millet , you will find it well explained in details in this recipe SPICY MILLET DRINK – ZOMKOM

The word “kunu” simply means drink in Hausa. There are different types of Nigerian kunu recipes with different ingredients such as;

• Kunu Zaki (millet drink)
• Kunu Aya ( tiger nut drink)
• Kunu Shinkafa (rice and coconut drink/pap)
• Kunu gyada (coconut and groundnut drink\pap)

At later dates, I will also write about the recipes for the other types of kunu we have but this blog post will only be about how to make kunu zaki and the ingredients you need to make the best Kunu Zaki you have ever tasted.

KUNU ZAKI INGREDIENTS

2.17kg Millet ( An equivalent of 1/2 yellow paint rubber)

5 ginger roots

2 table spoons cloves

2 table spoons black pepper

1/4 cup of sugar

2 sweet potatoes

YEILD : 5LITERS

PREPARATION TIME : 26 HOURS

KUNU RECIPE PREPARATIONS PROCEDURE

• Rinse millets multiple times with water till water becomes clear.
• While rinsing the millets, it is important to clean slowly so as to be able to separate the sands and stones that may settle at the bottom – if any.
• After rinsing properly, put everything in a big bowl
• Fill the bowl with water until it covers the millet
• Allow it to soften and ferment by soaking for 12 hours or overnight
• After 12 hours, drain the water used for soaking the millet
• Rinse the millets again with clean water and set aside
• Wash Sweet potatoes in clean water
• Peel potatoes skin and cut it in small pieces. This is done to make blending easy and set aside
• Peel ginger roots, cut into small pieces and set aside
• Rinse cloves and black pepper in clean water to remove dirt and impurities
• Pour the diced sweet potatoes, diced ginger, cloves and black pepper into the bowl containing the fermented millet
• Blend millets to a paste
• Share millet paste into 4 equal parts
• Set Aside 1 and mix the remaining 3 parts together
• Boil hot water
• Pour hot water into the remaining 3 parts while stirring continuously
• Mix till the millet paste thickens

The millet paste must thicken. If your millet paste does not thicken to pap texture after you add hot water then you have to cook it on fire until it thicken.

• Cover and let thickened millet paste rest for about 1 hour
• After 1 hour, add the 4th part of millet paste that was set aside earlier
• Mix thoroughly to make sure that everything is well combined
• Cover and set aside for 10 hours
• After 10 hours, the consistency of the millet paste would have changed from thick to watery
• Get a big bowl and a sieve
• Scoop the watery millet paste into the sieve and move your hands in circular motion to separate kunu from the chaff
• Do this till all the millet paste has been sieved.
• Dispose the Chaff
• Add sugar to your desired preference in sweetness
• Mix well

Kunu zaki is Ready. For maximum enjoyment serve cold.

By now, you know that kunu zaki is not a drink that can be hurriedly prepared because it takes a lot of time and effort. This is the reason why whenever I want to make it, I always ensure that I make a lot of it and store the excess remaining.

One thing is certain, after putting in some much time, efforts and resources I am sure you would not want your remaining kunu zaki to spoil or waste because you did not preserve it properly.

So it is safe to say that after kunu zaki production the next step should be preservation and this leads me to the next segment of this blog post .

HOW TO PRESERVE KUNU ZAKI

• Get bottles with tight lid – it could be made of plastic or glass
• Wash the bottles and covers well and sterilize them in hot water for at least 1 hour
• After sterilizing the bottles, set them on a drain rack to remove the excess water
• To reduce the mess, place a funnel in the bottles and pour the leftover kunu in the bottle
• Cover tightly and keep refrigerated
• If you will like to freeze your leftover kunu then it is advisable that you use plastic bottles not glass bottles. This is because glass bottles have the tendency to break or explode when frozen for long

And this is all you need to know about kunu zaki, how to prepare kunu zaki and how to preserve your kunu.

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Much love from © The Online Cook