Fonio (Acha) Pudding
This is a dish that is very close to my heart. Growing up, my mum made this creamy white pudding for us for breakfast and we all loved it. It still remains one of my few comfort foods. Fonio, also referred to as “Hungry Rice”, is a tiny pearl-like grain common in West Africa and some parts of India. It is a super grain packed with a lot of nutrients. In this recipe, I cooked the fonio grain with some milk and added some toppings for texture. Move over oats and cereals, a new guy is in town.
INGREDIENTS:
(1) 3/4 Cup Fonio (See Note 1)
(2) 4 Cups Water
(3) 2 Cups Milk (See Note 2)
(4) 3 Tablespoons Granulated White Sugar
(5) A Pinch of Salt
(6) 1/4 Cup Raisins/Cranberries (Optional)
(7) 2 Tablespoons Pecans (Optional)
(8) A drizzle of Honey (Optional)
NOTES:
(1) Due to the tiny nature of this grain, it most times has a few sand particles in it which have to be removed before cooking. I have uploaded a tutorial here on how to wash fonio grains. It is an easy process. This grain swells a lot and absorbs a lot of liquid when cooking. I used a total of 6 cups of liquid for just 3/4 cup of fonio. Do not be tempted to cook a lot of fonio as you might end up with a big pot of pudding.
(2) In place milk, you can use only water and add milk to the pudding just before serving.
PROCEDURE:
(1) Wash fonio grains. See tutorial here.
(2) Place Fonio along with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt on fire. The water might look like much when compared to the quantity of grains, but it will all be absorbed after about 10 minutes of cooking. Keep stirring pudding continuously at this early stage of cooking and until it has swollen up. This will prevent lumps from developing. As soon as the water is almost dry, add the remaining 2 cups of water.
(Focus on black part of spatula. As the cooking process advances, it keeps disappearing)
(3) After most of the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes into cooking, add the milk (or more water) and stir every now and then. The pudding will keep increasing in volume. After a while, you will notice some splashes. Be careful not to get splashed by the hot liquid. You can use a splash guard now if you have one.
(4) Cook pudding for about 10 minutes after the splashes start. Total cooking time should be about 30 minutes. You want the grains to lose their grittiness and become smooth and silky. The pudding will also be somewhat thick.
(5) Take the pudding off fire when it is ready and add sugar and raisins (if using). Stir. The sugar thins out the pudding a little. You can use more or less sugar, depending on how sweet you want it.
(6) Serve pudding immediately and top with some more raisins, pecans and a drizzle of honey if you like.
Note: This pudding solidifies after sitting at room temperature for a while. Like risotto, it is always best you serve it immediately it is ready. It can be served with some beignets or fritters like my Plantain and Coconut Fritters. Enjoy!
For more Fonio recipes, check out my Pete Acha which is a healthy vegetable portage.
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.
Nice one Terry,do i get to buy this in Superstore? Is it by any chance close to Tapioka i.e the taste? Thanks
Thanks. I’m not sure if it can be found in S/Store. Mine was shipped to me. It is closer to grits than Tapioca. Tapioca is made from cassava.
Oh I see,thanks
Acha can also be taken with ground nuts the way you enjoy gari with ground nuts. 🙂
I’m not too sure about that. Won’t the grains be too hard?
Wow! Teddy this is superb! I’m an ogi lover too.n mum used to make acha meals in all forms. Thanks for bringing back fond memories. I’ll definitely try this recipee out. Thanks
You are welcome
Plz do I need to travel down to Jos as am living in Ibadan while am longing to try this
I believe it can be found in most cities. You only need to make inquiries.
Thanks for this recipe. I only discover this grain and I m loving it already. I ll try out your recipe this evening. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome Kemi.
I grew up eating Acha pudding with tons of powdered milk! This takes me back to the good ol’ days! Great piece. If only I had the patience to wash the thing! I remember my mom having to spend quite some time separating the sand out with water and 2 bowls, pouring back and forth.
Those are great memories. You should relive them. I also watched my mum go through the same drill.
Lovely tutorial there, thanks. Have you come across a recipe for acha cake?
Thanks. Not yet. But that gives me something to work on.
I used to prepare this.
I understand how first timers might think the washing part is hard, but the logic is simple. Sand wont float.
Thanks for reminding me of Hungry Rice.
I will start preparing it again.
That is so true. The logic is simple: Sand wont float. Thanks
Wow! Acha is our food grown in abundance in Plateau State. Super nutritious as you said and so versatile…pudding, “gwete”, “tuwo” and a cous-cous like dish can all be made from it. I didn’t realize it had an “English” name so nice learnt something new here. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You are welcome. Yeah, Acha is a staple in Plateau state and there are numerous ways of cooking it. I am half Plateau and so I grew up eating this amazing grain.
A friend gave me this acha and it has been sitting in my fridge.tx for this recipe,will try it.
Do give it a go!