Ingredients
Peanuts
- 400 graw shelled peanuts
Rice
- 300 graw white rice, or 300 g rice flour
To bind
- 300 ggranulated sugar, or icing sugar
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 2 tbspwater, if needed
Sometimes added
- 1/2 tspgrated nutmeg
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Equipment
- a heavy dry pan
- a mortar or a grinder
- a shallow tin
Directions
- Pick over the raw rice and rinse it, then dry it thoroughly on a cloth. The grains must be completely dry before they go in the pan. Heat a heavy dry pan over a medium heat with no fat. Add the rice in a single layer and stir it constantly. Toast it for about ten minutes until it turns golden brown. Do not let it go dark, since burnt rice makes the whole batch bitter.
- Tip it onto a cold tray and let it cool completely. Grind it to a fine flour in a grinder or pound it in a mortar. Sieve it and re-grind anything that is still coarse. The flour must be fine, since gritty rice ruins the texture.
- Spread the peanuts on a tray and roast them at 170C for fifteen minutes. Shake the tray every five minutes so they colour evenly. They are ready when the skins darken and split.
- Tip them into a cloth and rub them hard to loosen the skins. Let them cool a little but do not let them go cold. Pound or grind the warm peanuts. Work them until they pass beyond powder and begin to release oil. Stop before it becomes a smooth peanut butter.
- Put the ground peanuts in a large bowl. Add the toasted rice flour and the sugar and salt. Add the nutmeg and vanilla if you are using them. Rub everything together with your fingertips. Keep working it, since the warmth of your hands helps release more oil. It will gradually go from a dry powder to a mixture that clumps when squeezed.
- Squeeze a handful hard in your fist. It should hold its shape when you open your hand. Tip the mixture into a shallow tin. Press it down very hard with the back of a spoon or a flat glass. Work from the centre out and press every corner firmly. The pressing is what holds the bars together, so do not be gentle.
- Score the surface into bars with a knife. Press the knife right down to the base of the tin. Leave it to firm up for an hour at room temperature. Turn the slab out carefully and separate the bars. Wrap them individually in paper or cling film. They keep for several weeks in an airtight tin. Serve them as a snack or hand them out at a celebration.
Technique
- Grind the peanuts until they release oil, since that oil is the only binder.
- Toast the rice only to golden, as burnt rice makes the whole batch bitter.
- Press very hard into the tin, since pressure is what holds the bars together.
Substitutions
- Ready-made rice flour, toasted in a dry pan.
- Icing sugar in place of granulated, which binds slightly better.
Variations
- With grated nutmeg through it.
- Made with a higher proportion of peanut for a richer bar.
- Rolled into balls rather than pressed into bars.
History
A Krio sweet of roasted peanuts, toasted rice flour and sugar pressed into bars; it keeps well and is made for celebrations and Ramadan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kanya?
Kanya is a snack from Sierra Leone: pressed peanut, rice and sugar bars; crumbly Krio sweet. A Krio sweet of roasted peanuts, toasted rice flour and sugar pressed into bars; it keeps well and is made for celebrations and Ramadan.
How long does Kanya take to make?
Kanya takes 30 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 20 bars. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Kanya?
Yes, within limits. Ready-made rice flour, toasted in a dry pan. Icing sugar in place of granulated, which binds slightly better.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kanya?
Pick over the raw rice and rinse it, then dry it thoroughly on a cloth. The grains must be completely dry before they go in the pan. Heat a heavy dry pan over a medium heat with no fat. Add the rice in a single layer and stir it constantly. Toast it for about ten minutes until it turns golden brown. Do not let it go dark, since burnt rice makes the whole batch bitter.
