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Nigerien · Nigerian · West African

Fura da nono

Vegetarian

Spiced steamed millet balls crumbled into cool fermented milk and sweetened to drink. A Fulani and Hausa favourite in Niger and northern Nigeria, both a snack and a light meal.

Fura da nono is a Nigerien cold drink, ready in about 1 hour and made with pearl millet flour and buttermilk. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
322

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the millet flour (opens in a new tab) with the ginger, cloves (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab), then add the water gradually and knead to a firm dough. Shape into 5 balls.

    • 8 min
    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Steam the balls until firm and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While still warm, pound the balls in a mortar (or knead well) until smooth, then roll into balls again and let them cool.

  4. Step 4

    To serve, crumble one ball into a bowl of chilled buttermilk (opens in a new tab), mash with a spoon and sweeten with sugar (opens in a new tab). Add ice if you like.

    • 3 min
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedAssociated with Fulani herders and Hausa communities of Niger and northern Nigeria.Also popular in Niger, Nigeria, Ghana
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Cold drinks · Porridge & cereals
Cooking method
Steamed, Blended
Taste
sour, creamy, spicy (chilli heat), sweet
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Pearl millet flour · Buttermilk · Ground ginger · Cloves · Sugar
Techniques
Steaming · Wet grinding · Kneading · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom buttermilk

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

322 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 299 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 15%
  • Carbohydrate 73%
  • Fat 12%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy322 kcal108 kcal
Protein12.2 g4.1 g
Carbohydrate59.8 g20 g
Net carbohydrate58 g19.4 g
Sugars23.9 g8 g
Added sugars12 g4 g
Fibre1.9 g0.6 g
Fat4.4 g1.5 g
Saturated fat1.6 g0.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol——
Sodium308 mg103 mg
Salt equivalent0.8 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
431 mg
Calcium
251 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
84 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
31 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: ice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Spare fura balls keep refrigerated for 2–3 days, ready to mix whenever you want a drink.

Common mistakes

  • Under-steaming the balls — raw millet flour tastes chalky; they should be firm and slightly translucent at the edges.

Food safety

  • Use pasteurised buttermilk or kefir; traditional raw nono carries a risk of foodborne illness.

Storage

  • Refrigerate fura balls up to 3 days; mix with milk just before serving.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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