Tuwo Shinkafa

Tuwo Shinkafa (Nigerian Rice Swallow)

A soft, stretchy northern Nigerian rice 'swallow' traditionally served with rich soups like miyan kuka or miyan taushe. The cooked rice is mashed with hot rice flour to form a smooth, pliable dough.

Prep

5 min

Cook

35 min

Total

40 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (2 cups) short-grain or medium-grain rice, local ofada or any starchy short-grain rice works best; basmati gives a softer result
• •150 g (1¼ cups) rice flour, plus extra if needed; traditional Hausa households pound dry rice into fresh flour
• •1 litre (4 cups) water, for boiling the rice
• •0.5 tsp salt, optional

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear, then drain.
2. 2 In a heavy pot, bring 1 litre (4 cups) of water and the salt to a rolling boil. Add the rice, stir once, and cook over medium heat for 18–22 minutes, until the rice is very soft and starting to break down. If the pot runs dry before the rice is soft, add hot water a little at a time.
3. 3 While the rice cooks, place the rice flour in a dry pan and toast over low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until it is just warm and smells faintly nutty. Do not brown it. Transfer to a bowl.
4. 4 Once the rice is mushy and the water is mostly absorbed, reduce the heat to low. Using a wooden spatula (traditionalists pound with a pestle), mash the rice vigorously in the pot until it forms a thick, sticky paste.
5. 5 Sprinkle the warm toasted rice flour over the mashed rice, a few tablespoons at a time, folding and pounding it in vigorously after each addition. Keep adding flour and working the dough until it becomes a smooth, firm, pliable ball that pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pot. This usually takes 8–10 minutes of steady pounding/folding.
6. 6 If the dough feels sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it feels too stiff, splash in 1–2 tablespoons of hot water and work it in.
7. 7 Cover the pot and let the tuwo rest off the heat for 5 minutes to finish setting.
8. 8 To serve, wet your hands with cold water (it keeps the dough from sticking) and pinch off golf-ball-sized portions. Roll briefly and form into small ovals or balls. Serve hot alongside your soup of choice; do not let the tuwo sit uncovered or it will dry out and form a hard skin.
9. 9 Safety note: there are no raw-meat, raw-egg, or toxic-plant steps in this dish. The rice must simply be cooked until completely soft so the body of the tuwo holds together.