A sweet Malian millet porridge often enriched with baobab fruit for a tangy, creamy start.

Where does Seri come from?

Seri is a Malian dish from Bamako, Mali.

Can Seri be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Seri recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Seri take to make?

About 35 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Seri — a Bamako, Mali recipe

Name: Seri
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malian
Ingredients: 1.5 cups fine millet (or millet flour); 3 tbsp or 1 baobab pulp (or a squeeze of lime for tang); 1/3 cup sugar; a pinch a pinch of salt; 5 cups water

Africa → 🇲🇱 Mali → Bamako

Seri

Malian · easy · serves 4

prep 10 min · cook 25 min

~307 cal · 7g protein · 64g carbs · 3g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Sweet creamy millet porridge in a calabash

🇲🇱 Bamako

Seri (also called dèguè in its thicker form) is a Malian breakfast porridge of fine millet cooked soft and sweetened, frequently brightened with the tart, citrusy pulp of the baobab fruit. Creamy and refreshing, it is sold in cups and calabashes and eaten to start the day across Bamako.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

•

1.5 cups fine millet (or millet flour)

•

3 tbsp or 1 baobab pulp (or a squeeze of lime for tang)

•

1/3 cup sugar

•

a pinch a pinch of salt

•

5 cups water

Instructions

1

Cook the millet in the water until soft and creamy.

2

Whisk to a smooth porridge, adding water as needed.

3

Stir in the baobab pulp (or lime) for tang.

4

Sweeten with sugar and add a pinch of salt.

5

Serve warm or chilled in cups.

Bamako tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Bamako. The Niger-side capital where groundnut stew simmers all day.

🗺️

Mali. Where the Niger River feeds a groundnut-stew heartland.

🌍

Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

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