[FOODIES CORNER] How to prepare Kunu Aya- Tiger Nut Beverage

Learning how to prepare kunu aya- tiger nut milk shake is a totally worthwhile act. Kunu aya is a Northern Nigerian beverage made from a mix of tiger nuts, coconut, dates and ginger. It is an absolutely nourishing drink, rich in numerous nutrients including fibre and vitamin E.

In Nigeria, ‘Kunu’ refers to locally made beverage that can be made from different cereal grains. The grain option could be millet, guinea corn or rice depending of the maker’s choice. Also, depending of the grain used for kunu, different words can be used as suffix to kunu just like we have in kunu aya and kunu zaki.

‘Aya’ is a local name for tiger nuts in Northern Nigeria. Therefore, ‘Kunu Aya’ is a local beverage made with tiger nuts being its primary ingredient. If you spare a moment to read the blog post about Tiger Nut, you will get an understanding of why you should really include this tiger nuts drink in your diet.

How to Prepare Kunu Aya- Tiger Nut Milk Shake

INGREDIENTS 2 cups of fresh tiger nuts ( known locally as Aya or ofio) 15 dates (Dabino) 1 coconut 1 moderate size ginger root 2 cups warm water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Thoroughly wash tiger nuts and soak in water for 15 to 20 hrs.You can soak it before going to bed at night till the next evening after work. The purpose of soaking is for it to absorb water and soften up. The nuts are really hard such that skipping this part of the process is going to put so much stress on the grinder.
2. Wash the dates and remove the seeds.
3. Crack the coconut, break it, remove the edible inside of the coconut and slice it to small cubes if you’ll be using a grinder (the kind you go to blend with outside your home). Or, if you will like to use a regular kitchen blender, further grate the coconut with a vegetable grater to ease the working of the blender.
4. Peel the back of the ginger and cut it to bits.
5. Blend the four ingredients (tiger nuts, coconuts, dates and ginger) together with 1 cup of warm water.
6. Pour the blended mix into a strainer with a mesh sizeable to seperate most of the shaft from the milk.
7. Add the remaining water to the shaft and blend again
8. Strain the mix from the blender with a muslin cloth to get the remaining milk.
9. Pour the shaft away and store the milk in a refrigerator to get it chilled.
10. Enjoy the chilled drink with your loved one.

Source: FoodieDame