How To Make Tiger Nut Milk And Other Recipes
A good alternative to dairy milk is plant-based milk,
There are a good number of plant-based milk options;
We have almond milk, rice milk, oat milk, tiger nut milk, coconut milk to mention a few.
I want to talk about tiger nut milk in this article, one of the many alternatives.
In Nigeria tiger nuts are quite easy to find.
You can get it in the open market, supermarket and it’s seen sold on the streets or moved around in Burrows.
It’s also one of the crops you can grow in your garden, click here to see how to plant tiger nuts.
Tiger nut milk is a good alternative for those who are lactose intolerant and for vegetarians.
You can take it with Akamu (pap), cereals, tea or coffee and it can replace milk even when baking.
Description of tiger nut milk
Tiger nut milk as the name implies is from tiger nuts.
The milk is white in colour when made from fresh tiger nuts and peeled tiger nut flour (outer skin removed)
Milk made from unpeeled tiger nut flour as a cream colour.
So we can say the colour ranges from white to cream.
Its sweet and has a nutty flavour, the sweet taste is an advantage,
this makes adding sweetener optional.
The milk is a suspension (heterogeneous mixture),
when left to sit for a while solid particles settle down.
To drink it afterwards shake the milk.
Nutritional information
Proximate Composition of 100g of tiger nut milk
| Carbohydrate | 7.61% |
| Protein | 2.60% |
| Starch | 8.72% |
| Sugar | 3.70% |
| Moisture | 82.1% |
| Ash | 0.22% |
| Lipid | 8.39% |
| Iron | 1.88% |
| Calcium | 42.5% |
| Vitamin C | 1.76% |
Source: Marcrothink Institute, Journal of Food Studies ISSN 2377-1356 2017, Vol 6, No.1
How to make tiger nut milk
Method 1
Using fresh tiger nuts
Ingredients
- 2 Cups of Fresh Tiger Nuts
- 4 Cups of Water
Instruction
Step 1
Wash the fresh tiger nut (if you are using the dry tiger nuts you would have to soak it in water for at least 24 hours)
Step 2
Put the tiger nut in a blender and add water
Step 3
Blend until smooth
Step 4
Pour out the blended mixed into a sieve or Muslin bag or cheese bag
Step 5
Sieve out the milk
Step 6
Serve the milk or refrigerator until ready to serve
Method 2
Using tiger nut flour
Ingredient
- 2 Cup of Tiger Nut Flour
- 2 ½ Cup of Water
Instruction
Step 1
Mix the flour and water together in a bowl
Step 2
Pass through a cheese or muslin bag
Step 3
Serve the milk or refrigerate.
Note:
- The milk in this recipe is very creamy,
- you might want to dilute it a bit when you want to drink it, it all depends on what you intend to do with it.
- The colour of the milk from unpeeled tiger nut flour is cream and not white.
- Use tiger nut plum to feeding animals like goats, chicken or turkey,
- otherwise, used as manure for plants in the garden.
- Tiger nut Plum is also dried and used as plum flour. Learn more about tiger nut flour.
Uses
There are several ways you can enjoy tiger nut milk;
It’s taken as a drink on its own,
at the same time you can take it with tea, beverages, and coffee.
It is also added to Akamu (pap), drinking garri, custard, tom brown and other cereals,
It’s used in making other drinks like Kunu aya (Nigerian), Horchata drink (Spanish)
The milk is blended with other fruits like apples and vegetables like carrots to make juice.
You can try out as many fruits and vegetables as you want.
What’s your favorite juice blend?
The milk is an alternative to dairy milk when baking bread, biscuit, cookies, cake etc.
The same applies when making pancakes, chin chin etc.
Ice creams and yogurts are not left out tiger nut milk is used in making them.
So there’s a whole lot you can do with the milk, you could use them in ways you use dairy milk. You could try out replacing them and see what works for you.
We would love to hear from you creative ways you’ve used tiger nut milk, do share in the comments box below.
Recipes
How to make Tiger Nut Pap
Tiger Nut Pap
Ingredient
- 2 cup tiger nut milk
Instruction
- Put tiger nut milk in a pot and place on a stove.
- Allow to boil until it consistency becomes thick
- Remove from the stove
- Allow to cool
- Add any sweetener or topping of choice, but the pap is sweet enough on its own, sweeteners will not be necessary.
Ginger and gloves when added give’s a different flavour.
How to Make Yogurt from Tiger Nut Milk
Yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 Cups (1 liter) Tiger Nut Milk
- 1 Capsule Probiotics or 2 Tablespoon Non Dairy Starter Culture or 4 Chilli Pepper (how to use chilli pepper click here to see steps)
Instruction
- Pour out the milk in a bowl and place on a stove
- Heat milk but do not bring to a boil
- Allow to cool
- Add probiotics or starter to the milk, cover and set aside for about 12 -24 hours in a warm place or at room temperature.
- By this time the milk should be thick or curdled
- Refrigerate for at least four hours this allows it to set
- Serve yogurt or leave in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Note: if there is excess water after culturing consider draining it off especially if you want a thick consistency
Or mix it all together.
Another option for a thick consistency is to add corn flour to thicken it before placing the milk on heat and culturing.
Health benefits
Most of the nutritional benefits gotten from eating fresh tiger nuts is present when taking the milk as well.
Some of these benefits are
- Promotes good digestion,
- heart friendly,
- helps with good skin,
- Promotes a healthy reproductive system,
- for healthy bones and teeth etc.
To get more details about this see tiger nuts uses and benefits.
A major distinction is the absence of fiber, this is favorable for those who do not like high fiber diets.
Storage
After you’ve made the milk use up immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Watch video illustration
