By Soyokuor Quarcoo Tchire
A very nutritious and satisfying spice-infused millet beverage mostly sold as street food in Ghana. Fura, also called spiced millet dumpling or alkaline African smoothie is a millet dough ball originating with the Hausas in West Africa. It is of top choice, especially among the Hausa or residents of Zongo Communities here in Ghana. The basic ingredients are just like that for Hausa koko and are very easy to prepare.
https://youtu.be/Xn9Mdj78f0I
Let’s prepare some fura today on chopology.
If it suits your fancy to prepare fura, then you need millet, guinea peppers, chili pepper, ginger, cloves, black peppercorns and salt to taste. The first step is to blend the millet and all the spices until smooth. Add water to the mixture, and using your fingers or a spatula mix well, smoothing out all lumps to form a bit of a thick paste. Cover and leave overnight to ferment. In the morning scoop the top of the paste and throw it away. Transfer into a clean pot, add a pinch of salt and put on fire. Cook on medium heat and keep stirring the mixture in one direction as the mixture thickens. Add a little bit of water and cover the pot. Leave to cook for about five minutes on fire. Continue stirring in one direction. It’ll finally come together in a ball.
When the desired consistency has been achieved, remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once it is cooled enough to handle, take sizable portions and roll into balls.
To do this, lightly dust your palms with millet flour and roll the dough in your palm or a flat plate shaping it into a ball. Dust the balls with corn flour. This helps the fura from drying out. Your fura is now ready to be served.
To serve, blend each ball by adding water. Blend until smooth and thick to your preferred consistency.
Add some sweetener of choice, milk and some peanuts. With the weather what it is today, you may add some ice for that chilled effect.
Fura is served like a drink or light porridge.
Your fura da nono is ready. Enjoy!
