Kunun Gyada / Hausa Pap - Rice and Peanut Milk Porridge
It was the first time I ever saw rice cooked in that way.
I was about 9 years old eagerly peering over my aunt's side as she stirred together quite an unusual combination- rice flour and peanuts. Before then, I knew nothing about rice as a flour. I knew it for jollof rice or even for rice and stew, but never as a breakfast dish.
I often enjoyed it when my aunt came home for the holidays from her travels because it meant she brought with her a new experience for us to try. Something unusually wonderful, just like this.
At the time my aunt traveled to the city of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria to study as a healthcare student at the University of Maiduguri. Borno State shares a geographic boundary with Maroua, the capital city of the Far Northern Region of Cameroon. During her 3 years there, she became acculturated to the Hausa ethnic culture of both Cameroon and Nigeria. Of course, her culinary knowledge was not exempt from assimilating into this new lifestyle. That’s where she learned this new dish: Kunun Gyada.
Though quite unfamiliar to me at the time, Kunun Gyada (also known as Hausa Pap) is a staple porridge commonly consumed by the Hausa ethnic group in the Far Northern Regions of Cameroon and neighboring country Nigeria. It’s also the dish of choice to break fast during Ramadan. Women would gather to cook magnificently large pots of Kunun Gyada and serve to their families and even their neighbors. It’s also served at the end of Ramadan to celebrate the end of the fasting period.
The combination of rice milk and peanut milk in Kunun Gyada creates a rich and creamy porridge that is simply heavenly. With no hesitation at all, it quickly became one of my favorite breakfast meals and it may soon be yours too!
Click play on the video below to cook along with me or scroll past the video to follow the written instructions.
Dish: Kunun Gyada / Hausa Pap
Countries- Cameroon and Nigeria
Geographic Region: Northern Cameroon and Nigeria Cities
Ethic Group: Hausa and the Fulani
K U N U N G Y A D A R E C I P E
Ingredients
a. 11/2 cups raw peeled peanut
b. 1 Cup Rice Flour or Long Grain Rice
c. 1 Lime or 2 Tablespoon Lime (or substitute with Lemon or Tamarind Juice)
Kunun Gyanda Cooking Instructions
1.Wash the peanuts and soak in water for 2 hours or overnight.
Soak peanuts for 2 hours.
2. Pour the soaked peanuts into the blender and add water to ease the blades then blend to form a creamy texture.
Note: If the mixture is thick, add more water to form a light creamy texture.
3. Sift peanut mixture using a cheesecloth to extract the peanut milk then pour it into a pot.
4. Place the pot on the stove and cook on medium heat. Continuously stir the pot while cooking to prevent the milk from overflowing from the pot.
5. In a separate bowl, add three cups of water (at room temperature) to the rice flour and mix well for the rice to release its starch.
6. Sift the rice using a cheesecloth to extract the starch.
Note: If using long grain rice, wash the rice and soak in water for 2 hours or overnight. Blend the rice with water until it's soft then use a cheesecloth to extract the starch.
7. Pour the rice starch into the pot of peanut milk and cook on low heat. Stir constantly until it becomes thick.
8. Add in the lime juice to your taste and mix well. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add in some sugar to your taste at this step as well.
Note: If you don’t have lime juice, you can substitute it with lemon or tamarind juice.
