Nigerien Recipes

Nigerien cooking reflects the Sahel and the Niger River. Millet and sorghum are the traditional grains, cooked into porridges and pastes called tuwo or eaten as couscous, and rice is common in the river valley and on special days. Hausa cooks in the south make soups such as miyan kuka from baobab leaves, fried rice cakes called masa, and kilishi, thin spiced dried beef. Zarma cooks along the river serve steamed dambou with moringa leaves and dried or fresh river fish. Peanuts, cowpeas, onions, tomatoes and chilies are the daily seasonings, and the Fulani and Tuareg herding communities rely on milk, cheese and meat. Soured milk is mixed with millet in fura da nono. Meals are usually shared from one bowl, eaten by hand or with a spoon, and tea is served in tiny glasses, strong and sweet. Couscous and grilled meat are served on festival days, and alcohol is generally not part of daily life.

Staple ingredients

• millet
• sorghum
• rice
• peanuts
• cowpeas
• moringa leaves
• soured milk
• dried and grilled meat

• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 2
• Snacks 2
• Drinks 1

Salads

• Salaat (Nigerien Tomato, Carrot and Cucumber Salad)NE15 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Dambou (Nigerien Steamed Couscous with Moringa)NE1 h 10 minMedium
• Miyan Kuka with Tuwon Shinkafa (Baobab Leaf Soup with Rice Swallow)NE1 h 45 minMedium

Snacks

• Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef)NE4 h 30 minChallenging
• Masa (Hausa Rice Cakes)NE1 hMedium

Drinks

• Fura da Nono (Millet Balls in Soured Milk)NE50 minMedium