Karkanji
Vegetarian
A deep-red chilled drink of hibiscus flowers steeped with ginger, cloves and cinnamon, sweetened generously. Sold everywhere in Chad, especially at the end of a fast during Ramadan.
Karkanji is a Chadian cold drink, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with dried hibiscus flowers and fresh ginger. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Rest
- 1 h
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Beginner
- Calories
- 86
Method
Step 1
Rinse the hibiscus (opens in a new tab). Bring the water to the boil with the ginger, cloves (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab), add the hibiscus and boil for 5 minutes.
- 10 min
- high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
Step 2
Take off the heat, stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab) until dissolved and leave to steep and cool.
- 60 min
Step 3
Strain, chill well and serve over ice with lemon (opens in a new tab) slices.
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Chad · Commonly attributedPart of a family of hibiscus drinks across the Sahel and Sudan (bissap, karkadeh).Also popular in Sudan, NigerMore food from Chad
- Dish
- Snack · Cold drinks
- Cooking method
- Boiled
- Taste
- sour, sweet, refreshing, aromatic / warmly spiced
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style - Good for
- Make-ahead · Budget-friendly · Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- Dried hibiscus flowers · Fresh ginger · Cloves · Cinnamon · Sugar
- Techniques
- Boiling
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
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
86 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 282 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 1%
- Carbohydrate 98%
- Fat 1%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 86 kcal | 31 kcal |
| Protein | 0.2 g | 0.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 22.1 g | 7.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 21.7 g | 7.7 g |
| Sugars | 20.1 g | 7.1 g |
| Added sugars | 20 g | 7.1 g |
| Fibre | 0.4 g | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g | 0 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 6 mg | 2 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 38 mg
- Calcium
- 46 mg
- Iron
- 0.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 11 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 1 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 1 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: lemon, ice.
- Dried hibiscus flowers: Raw roselle (FDC 168170) used as a stand-in; dried calyces are more concentrated, but in drinks they are steeped and strained so little is consumed.
- “—” 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
- Taste before adding all the sugar — hibiscus varies in sourness.
Common mistakes
- Boiling the hibiscus too long — it turns bitter; 5 minutes is enough before steeping.
Storage
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge in a closed bottle.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
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.
Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.
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