~68 cal · 0g protein · 18g carbs · 0g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Glass of creamy tiger nut milk
🇳🇪 Niamey
Kunun aya is the tiger nut milk of the Hausa people of Niger and northern Nigeria, blended from soaked tiger nuts (aya) — a small sweet tuber, not a true nut — with dates and ginger. Creamy, subtly sweet, and rich in fiber, it is strained smooth and served ice-cold as a nourishing refresher.
Sign in to save recipes to your book and leave reviews.
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 tiger nuts (aya), soaked (a tuber, not a nut)
•
5 cups water
•
1/2 cup pitted dates
•
1-inch fresh ginger
Instructions
1
Soak the tiger nuts overnight until plump, then drain.
2
Blend them with the water, dates, and ginger until as smooth as possible.
3
Strain firmly through a fine cloth, pressing out all the creamy milk and discarding the pulp.
4
Chill thoroughly and serve very cold, shaking before pouring as it settles.
Hausa tradition, Niamey and the Sahel.
Ratings & reviews
Sign in to rate this recipe once you’ve cooked it.
No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Niamey. A Niger River capital of steamed dambou.
🗺️
Niger. A Sahel nation of millet, moringa, and rice sauces.
🌍
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
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
More from Niger
Dambou
Steamed grain tossed with moringa leaves, tomato, and oil — a light, nourishing dish of Niger.
Fura da Nono
Spiced millet dough balls broken into cool soured milk and sweetened — the iconic Hausa-Fulani breakfast drink-meal of Niger.