Mono

Ingredients

Millet

• 200 gfine millet flour, or pounded millet
• 1.2 litreswater
• 1/4 tspsalt

To sweeten

• sugar, to taste
• or honey

To enrich

• 300 mlsoured milk, or plain yoghurt thinned with milk
• or evaporated milk

Sometimes added

• a pinch of grated nutmeg
• a squeeze of lemon
• 1 tbspgroundnut paste

Directions

1. Put the millet flour in a bowl. Add about a third of the water, cold. Whisk it until it is completely smooth. There should be no lumps and no dry pockets at all.
2. Bring the remaining water to the boil in a heavy pan. Add the salt to the boiling water. Pour the slurry in while whisking hard.
3. Keep whisking for the first two minutes. Simmer it for twenty-five minutes. Stir it every couple of minutes with a wooden spoon.
4. Taste a little: there should be no raw floury flavour left. It should be thin enough to drink from a cup for an adult. Make it thicker for eating with a spoon if you prefer. Make it much thinner and less sweet for a small child.
5. Add hot water if it has gone stiffer than you want. Sweetening it is done at the end. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves completely. Taste it and adjust, since preferences vary widely.
6. Add the nutmeg or a squeeze of lemon if you want them. Loosen the groundnut paste with hot porridge before stirring it in. Pour the porridge into bowls or cups.
7. Spoon the soured milk over the top rather than stirring it in. The contrast of hot sweet porridge and cold sour milk is the point. Serve it hot, first thing in the morning. It is made fresh each day and does not keep well.

Technique

• Whisk the flour into cold water first, since adding it to boiling water lumps every time.
• Simmer for a full twenty-five minutes, as undercooked millet tastes chalky.
• It thickens considerably as it cools, so leave it looser than you want it.

Substitutions

• Fine millet flour from a shop in place of pounded millet.
• Plain yoghurt thinned with milk in place of soured milk.

Variations

• With groundnut paste stirred in for a richer porridge.
• Served under cold soured milk.
• Made very thin and lightly sweetened for small children.

History

A simple morning gruel of Gambian households, made from pounded millet and often given to children.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mono?

Mono is a breakfast from Gambia: plain millet porridge eaten hot, sweetened with sugar or sour milk. A simple morning gruel of Gambian households, made from pounded millet and often given to children.

How long does Mono take to make?

Mono takes 10 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mono?

Yes, within limits. Fine millet flour from a shop in place of pounded millet. Plain yoghurt thinned with milk in place of soured milk.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mono?

Spoon the soured milk over the top rather than stirring it in. The contrast of hot sweet porridge and cold sour milk is the point. Serve it hot, first thing in the morning. It is made fresh each day and does not keep well.