Fura da Nono (Millet Cereal)
Fura da nono is a staple dish in northern Nigeria where it had mostly as lunch. It is very common to see beautifully adorned Fulani ladies under shades of trees with big calabashes which hold their milk and fura balls. Orders are mixed in smaller calabashes with calabash spoons and the buyer has the choice of adding sukari (sugar) or not. The fura balls are made from millet flour which has been spiced with ginger, cloves and sometimes, pepper. It is a very healthy and satisfying dish. It is also one dish you can personalize by your choice of diary.
INGREDIENTS:
Fura Balls:
(1) 400 Grams Millet Flour (Gero) (See Note 1)
(2) 1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Ginger Powder (Cìtá) (See Note 2)
(3) 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves (Gùrúmbàlí)
(4) 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
(5) Pinch of Salt
(6) 1-1/4 Cups Water
Components:
(1) Your choice of raw milk, skimmed milk, yogurt, Greek yogurt or heavy creamed milk (Kindirmo)
(2) Sugar (Optional)
NOTES:
(1) Traditionally, whole grain millet is locally processed to flour using a mortar. The grains are pounded with a little bit of water to loosen the chaff. After blowing away the chaff, the hulled millet is then pounded and sifted to get millet flour. I have avoided all these steps and gone ahead to purchase already processed millet flour.
(2) If you want your fura balls to be more spicy, you can increase the quantity of the various spices in this recipe.
PROCEDURE:
Fura Balls:
(1) In a large bowl, mix the millet flour with all the spices.
(2) Add the water to the flour mixture a little at a time until a thick paste is formed. You might not need all the water and you might need a little bit more.
(3) Shape the millet paste into small balls, the size of golf balls.
(4) Place the millet balls in a pot, add some water and boil them for about 30 minutes. You want the balls to be cooked all the way through. After 30 minutes, break a ball to see if it is properly cooked or if the inside still looks lighter in color and raw. If it is still raw, keep cooking the balls until it is done. The cooking duration will ultimately depend on the size of your balls.
(5) After the millet balls have cooked, place them in a mortar and pound them into a paste. This is to make the balls even in texture and easy to break later on. I do not have a mortar and so used a stand mixer. A food processor can also be used.
(6) Shape the cooked millet paste into balls again. Roll the balls in some millet flour to coat them and keep them from sticking to each other.
Mixing:
To eat, break some millet balls into a bowl, add your dairy of choice and mash it to form a thick paste. Add some more diary to thin it out and sweeten it with sugar if you want to. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a blender and blend them into fura da nono. My choice of dairy: half yogurt and half milk.
BONUS RECIPE:
Love millet? Try some Millet Pudding.
Terry Adido is passionate about showing people how easy it is to recreate restaurant quality meals in the comfort of their kitchens. With a style of cooking he refers to as Afro-European Fusion, his meals are influenced greatly by French and Italian Cuisine with a West African twist. If you love good food, you are in for the ride of your life.
This is lovely,wl try it soon.buh d millef shld b grinded dry?cn I use grinding machine or blender. Where I am I ve nt seen d cloves cn it b replaced wt anoda spice? Merci
Hi. I am not certain a blender will work. A grinding machine should. You can leave out the cloves.
I could hug you right now. I was born and grew up in kaduna, I love my fura de nono can wait to try this. Ohhhhhh am singing
I’m glad you love fura. Do give it a go. Hugs.
I love the Nunu without the fura! Lols!
Nice.
I just finished making my Fura it was lush I had mine with Greek yoghurt. Thanks to you Terry. Pls how can I store my remaining fura balls I ve placed them in the fridge for now
Glad yo loved it. Keeping them in the fridge in an air tight container should work. Try and use it up as quickly as you can though.
Hi,pls I need proper clarification,i am on a Weightloss journey I fell in love with Habib yoghurt and fura,heard peaple say its very fattening,whats your take on this pls thanks
Hi. Sorry I am not a nutritionist or weight loss expert. However, plain yogurt is not supposed to be fattening if consumed in moderation.
I will kill you for this in September!!!
Where did you get dark millet???
Until then :-). They sell it in the African stores.
Please can it be served as a dessert
Although sweet, it has savory elements. So I will say no.
Just read dz piece after going out to mill my soaked millet….cant wait to try it too… wait a sec!….I still can ryt?
Yes you can.
You just made my day.
I will try it.i
thanks alot.
You are welcome Hannah.
Hi. I got the millet seed today. Should I go ahead and blend it to use? All I have to suck it first??? Thanks
There is no need to soak it Joy if it is already peeled.
Hello Terry, how long can i persevere fura?
About a week in the fridge. Longer in the freezer.
Amazing! I am on it to-mo-rrow! 👌🏾😃💃. Thank you
Just made it! I used my already made garin kunu. It feels so good to feel at home away from home.
Thank you so much Terry.
Awesome.
You are welcome Sarah.
Terry bro ur the man. But Abeg must ur pound it after boiling or u can just eat straight up
Thanks Freddy. It must be pounded to get the right texture.
This is most easier and simpler explanation I ever came across on how to make Fura. I’m not from northern Nigeria but we eat Fura in the northern part of Ghana, especially my tribe the dagombas.
Thank you for breaking the process up the way explained in your recipe. I have used different method and it works as well but I think yours is much easier in terms of using modern equipment.
I’m passionate with food especially Africa ingredients. We are blessed when it comes with our foods but I think some are starting to forget our cooking.
Thanks for your feedback Khadi. I am glad you found my tutorial useful.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I live in the U.S so many of the spices included in most Fura da nono recipes are very pricy and hard to come by. I am actually making this for a research project on Western Africa. My friends are going to love it.
You are welcome.
Preserving fura in the fridge worked for about 3 days. I also tried freezing it, didn’t come out right. It broke up into granules loosing its pasty texture.
Thanks for your feedback.