Thiakry Couscous
Aperçu
Thiakry is millet couscous stirred into sweetened yogurt and milk, served cold, and it is one of the most widely eaten sweet things in Senegal and the Gambia. It is also written thiakri, chakery, caakiri and degue, and the spelling shifts with the language and the writer while the dish stays the same. Millet is the reason it exists. It is one of the principal grains of Senegal, grown across the drier interior where rice does not do well, and thiakry is among the most common things made from it. The grain is milled to a couscous and steamed, then cooled and folded into the dairy. In Dakar it is sold in every grocery store, which is a fair measure of how ordinary a food it is. It is eaten at breakfast as readily as at the end of a meal, which puts it in the same category as yogurt everywhere: sweet, cold, and not confined to dessert. Raisins, mango, grated coconut and chopped almonds are all standard on top, and vanilla and nutmeg are the usual flavourings. Its close relation ngalakh, made with peanut paste and baobab, is the elaborated festival version of the same base. Thiakry is the everyday one.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
Thiakry is prepared from millet couscous, milled from one of the principal grains of the Senegalese interior, and is documented across Senegal and the Gambia under names including caakiri, chakery and degue. It shares its base with ngalakh, the more elaborate preparation served at Easter and Korité.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Add enough warm water to the couscous to cover the grains. Let the couscous absorb the water, then microwave for 3 minutes. Leave to cool while the grains finish cooking.
- 2
Once the couscous is completely cold, add the yogurt, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and nutmeg.
- 3
Mix well, chill thoroughly and serve cold.
Notes de l’Africook
- The couscous must be completely cold before the dairy goes in. Warm grain will thin the yogurt and can split it, and the texture will not recover.
- Millet couscous is what makes it thiakry. Wheat couscous works and gives a milder, smoother result that Senegalese cooks would recognise as a substitute rather than the real thing.
- Add the milk gradually and stop at the consistency you want. The couscous keeps absorbing as it chills, so a mixture that looks right immediately will be stiff an hour later.
- Chill it properly, at least two hours. It is served cold and the flavours need the time.
- Mango, raisins, grated coconut and chopped almonds are the standard toppings, added just before serving rather than stirred through.
Questions fréquentes
What is the difference between thiakry and ngalakh?
Thiakry is the everyday version: millet couscous with sweetened yogurt and milk, eaten at breakfast or as a dessert. Ngalakh takes the same millet base and adds peanut paste and baobab fruit pulp, which makes it richer and tarter, and it is made specifically for Easter and Korité. Thiakry is the simpler dish and the foundation of the other.
Can I use ordinary couscous instead of millet couscous?
Yes, and the recipe will work. Wheat couscous gives a smoother, milder result, where millet has a slightly nuttier flavour and a more distinct grain. Millet couscous is what makes it thiakry in Senegal, and it is sold at West African grocers, often labelled thiakry or sanio. Pearled couscous is the closest widely available alternative.
How should thiakry be served?
Cold, and chilled for at least a couple of hours rather than eaten straight after mixing. It is served in bowls at breakfast or as a dessert, topped with mango, raisins, grated coconut or chopped almonds. Extra sugar is sometimes sprinkled over at the table, and it is sometimes served with ice.
How long does thiakry keep?
Two to three days refrigerated in a sealed container. It thickens as it sits, because the couscous keeps absorbing the milk, so you may want to loosen it with a little extra milk before serving on the second day. Add any fruit topping fresh rather than storing it mixed in.
Avis
5 avis
We call this chakery at home in Gambia. I get the millet couscous from the halal store on Stapleton Road here in Bristol. The nutmeg and vanilla combination is so nostalgic. I used 3 tablespoons of sugar instead of 2 because we like it a bit sweeter, but chilling it overnight in the fridge made it perfect.
Herh, this took me right back! Found the proper millet grains in Peckham last weekend. Mixing the milk with plain yogurt gives that exact sweet-sour balance my Senegalese mate used to make. Just make sure the steamed grains are 100% cold before pouring the yogurt mix chale, or it spoils the texture oo.
Made this tonight using Clover plain yogurt and full cream milk. 3 minutes in the microwave was not enough for the millet couscous brand I had, the grains were still slightly hard in the center. I had to add another quarter cup of warm water and give it 2 extra minutes. Tasted lekker once cold though.
Bought the millet couscous from the African shop near Dekalb market. The 3 minute microwave trick actually worked well, I was worried it would end up gummy! Next time I will add more nutmeg though, a pinch was not enough for me sha. Very refreshing o.
yoh this was so cool and refreshing! i sommer used regular greek yoghurt and added extra grated nutmeg on top before putting it in the fridge. my kids ate the whole bowl before dinner was even ready my broer, so quick to make.