In this post, I will show you how to make kunu with guinea corn. Kunu is a popular drink commonly seen in the Northern part of Nigeria. It is made from guinea corn, millet or rice.
Kunu made from millet is called Kunu zaki and the ones made from rice kunu are called Kunu gyada.
lt can also be made from maize as well. It has a spicy and nutty flavor loaded with vitamins and nutrients .
The reasons why Kunu is considered beneficial to the health is because
- The millet used in preparing kunu contains a polynutrient called lignam which has cancer fighting properties
- Helps in treating heart disease.
- It reduces the risk associated with diabetes.
- It is recommended for women who have reached the stage of menopause as it helps relax muscles.
- The ginger present in a kunu helps to relieve digestive problems such as nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness and pain.
- Kunu is also recommended for nursing mothers as it contains ginger which helps to increase the flow of milk
- It lowers the cholesterol level and prevents the formation of blood clots.
- Kunu also contain fibre, which helps in the smooth digestive system.
- It helps to fight chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
- A rich source of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins especially vitamin B.
- Sweet potatoes, which is one of the ingredients contains about100-1,600 micrograms of vitamin A.
- It helps to raise the blood levels of vitamin A which is essential for pregnancy and lactation.
- Due to the present of sweet potatoes which is a good source of magnesium and potassium, it regulate proper maintenance of the heart, management of stress and controlling of blood sugar level among other nutritional benefits.
- This drink takes about a minimum of 1-2 days to be prepared. It is left to ferment by soaking in water
Here is a concise recipe for Kunu
Ingredients
- 3 cups of millet
- 1 tablespoon of ginger (fresh or dried)
- 1 medium size of Sweet potatoes (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon of ginger
- 1 teaspoon of Cloves (Konofiri)
- 2 litres of water
- Sugar (Optional)
Directions
- Pour the millet in a flat tray shake the millet and pick hidden stones
- Pour the millet in a bowl of water for stones to settle down at the bottom of the bowl with is one can easily separate the millet from the sands and stones
- Soak the millet in a bowl of water for 24hrs
- Discard water and wash the millet thoroughly
- Pound sweet potatoes, ginger and cloves. Then blend the millet together with the pounded ingredients
- Add some quantity of water to the millet just enough to be sieving easy
- Sieve and discard the resulting chaff
- Leave the slurry to settle for 4 to 5 hours and then decant the supernatant
- Then divide into two parts
- In part A bowl, add small quantity of water and add boiling water to add 4 cups of water to one part of the slurry for partial gelatinization
- While the other part should be mixed with cold water in a ratio of 3 cups of water to 1 part of slurry.
- Lastly, combine the two mixtures properly and add sugar to taste. The product obtained is the kunun zaki
- Refrigerate and served chilled