Ingredients
Millet
- 500 gpearl millet grain
- water, for soaking and grinding
To flavour
- 3cm ginger, peeled
- 2cloves, optional
- a small piece of tamarind, optional
To cook
- 2 litreswater
- a pinch of salt
To serve
- sugar, to taste
- milk or evaporated milk, optional
- cups or bowls
Directions
- Use clean drinking water at every stage. Use scrupulously clean vessels throughout. Serve it fresh and do not let it stand warm. Understanding pearl millet helps.
- Rinse the millet thoroughly in clean water. Rub the grains between your hands as you rinse. Pick out any stones or damaged grains. Cover it deeply with clean water in a bowl. Leave it to soak for at least twelve hours. Drain it and then rinse it again. Grind the soaked millet with the ginger.
- Add just enough water to help it turn. Grind it to a smooth wet paste. Add the cloves and tamarind now if you use them. Pour the paste through a fine sieve or cloth. Add water and work the solids through.
- Press and squeeze to extract as much as you can. Discard the coarse bran left behind. It should look like thin cloudy milk. Pour the strained liquid into a clean bowl. Cover it with a cloth rather than a lid.
- Leave it somewhere warm and out of the sun. Let the starch settle to the bottom. Stir it once each day with a clean spoon. Bubbles should appear on the surface. Stir the fermented slurry thoroughly. Bring the two litres of water to the boil. Add the pinch of salt to the water.
- Pour in the slurry in a thin steady stream. Whisk hard the whole time you are pouring. Bring it back to a simmer over a low heat. Stir it continuously with a wooden spoon.
- Cook it for about twenty minutes. It thickens only slightly, since it is meant to be thin. Add hot water if it becomes too heavy. Serving it is always done warm. Pour it into cups or into bowls. Add sugar to taste at the table. Make it fresh and do not keep it warm for hours. Keep a little of the ferment back to start the next batch.
Technique
- Ben-saalga has been the subject of substantial nutritional research because of its role as a weaning food in Ouagadougou.
- That research has consistently raised its low energy density and the hygiene of street preparation as the two practical concerns.
Substitutions
- Pearl millet flour can be used and skips the soaking and grinding, though the texture is less fine.
- Sorghum can replace millet and is used in some households.
Variations
- Some vendors add more ginger for a spicier gruel.
- A thicker version is made as a porridge to eat with a spoon.
- Related fermented millet gruels are drunk right across the Sahel.
History
A Mossi porridge of Ouagadougou, sold at dawn from street stands and long studied as the city’s main weaning food.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ben-saalga?
Ben-saalga is a breakfast from Burkina Faso: thin sour gruel of fermented pearl millet, drunk warm, often given to small children. A Mossi porridge of Ouagadougou, sold at dawn from street stands and long studied as the city’s main weaning food.
How long does Ben-saalga take to make?
Ben-saalga takes 20 minutes plus 2 days fermenting of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Ben-saalga?
Yes, within limits. Pearl millet flour can be used and skips the soaking and grinding, though the texture is less fine. Sorghum can replace millet and is used in some households.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ben-saalga?
Use clean drinking water at every stage. Use scrupulously clean vessels throughout. Serve it fresh and do not let it stand warm. Understanding pearl millet helps.
