Tiger nuts, also known as aya, ofio, akiausa and imumu are widely consumed in fresh and dried form all across in Nigeria. Despite their name, tiger nuts are not nuts!! I only found that out a few years ago.....they fooled me oh! They have a chewy, sweet and nutty texture but are actually tubers.....more like lots of tiny shrivelled potatoes!
In addition to being a tasty and convenient low FODMAP snack on their own, dried tiger nuts can be transformed into tiger milk with very little effort or equipment. All that's needed is a blender and a tightly woven piece of cloth for straining the nut pulp.
Tiger nut milk is best consumed within 2-3 days. It continues to ferment and changes taste.
You could get creative with your tiger milk flavour and add cocoa powder, vanilla extract or any other flavouring of your choice!
What will you add to your tiger milk?
If you decide to give this recipe a go, please share your thoughts, pictures and recipe tweaks. Good luck!
Notes before we get cooking!
FODMAP red, amber green rating reflects the total amount of Fructose (FTS), Lactose (L), Mannitol (M), Sorbitol (S), Galactooligosaccharide (GOS) and Oligos Fructans (FTA) in the TOTAL volume/weight of the ingredients used in the recipe.
This recipe fills approximately 1.5, 500ml jars of milk. (30 ml pictured).
I'm a big fan of simple recipes that don't need fancy equipment. For this recipe it does help to have clean glass jars, a good blender and a large piece of clean, tightly woven material for straining the wet nut pulp.
Ingredients:
Method
Step 1.
Wash your tiger nuts and place them in a bowl.
Step 2.
Cover the tiger nuts with 2 times their depth of water. Leave to soak for 24 hrs.
Step 3.
The nuts should have swelled in size from absorbing some of the water. Drain the water that is left and refill the bowl, with 2 times the depth of water again.
Step 4.
Transfer the water/nut mixture to a blender and blend for at least 5-10 minutes (time varies depending on the strength of your blender). The mixture will turn white as the tiger nuts turns to pulp. Add more water if required, to achieve your desired milk consistency.
Step 5.
Lay out a tightly woven clean cloth or a nut bag over a big bowl or pan (big enough to collect the milk).
Step 6.
Pour the nut/water mixture from the blender over the material or into the nut milk bag, taking care not to let it over spill.
Step 7.
Gather the material or the nut milk bag and squeeze, to release as much moisture from the nut pulp as possible.
Step 8.
Transfer the milk into a clean jar and refrigerate.
Step 9.
If you wish to make tiger nut flour, lay out the pulp on a flat surface in a warm place at let it dry for 2 days.
Step 10.
Enjoy tiger nut milk and flour at your leisure!!
Disclaimer
I'm very passionate about the management of autoimmune conditions in a healthy way.
I speak with medical professionals, read journals, try and test new recipes to share with you and diligently undertake research online. That being said, as you know, each autoimmune disease, as well as any set of symptoms you may be experiencing are unique.
All information provided is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to ensure the appropriateness of any information in relation to your own situation.
And finally, please comment and share so we as a community better cope with our conditions by through growth and learning.