In my travels around the web each day, I encounter mostly dross, a few perfect gems, and some items that require cleaning or polishing to ascertain which pile they belong in. And then, even when clean, people will have to decide for themselves whether they are treasure-worthy.
A few weeks ago I came across a recipe for something called Nigerian Kamu, which the author said was basically Cream of Wheat. I have never been a Cream of Wheat person, even though it was always in the kitchen cabinet when I was growing up. (I never saw anyone actually eat it.) My husband, like one of my parents, I guess, is also a firm believer in having a box of Cream of Wheat in the cabinets. I think I’ve seen him eat it twice. But you know, if I throw it out, he’ll be asking about it tomorrow. So there it stays, driving me crazy.
And now, back to the Nigerian Kamu. Reading the recipe through, I knew it wasn’t exactly like Cream of Wheat. Cream of Wheat has a gritty texture to it. Nigerian Kamu, made with flour per the recipe, will not be gritty. Also, based on the original recipe instructions, I was sure it would be very lumpy. It was a bit lumpy just with blending the flour into the boiling water. Then stirring in the powdered milk? Well, unless I was wrong, this mixture would then be seriously lumpy.
I was not wrong.
But I dutifully followed the original recipe and instructions. It was indeed very lumpy, even after getting Mr. Stick Blender involved in the situation. Not as lumpy, but still fairly lumpy. I gave Aaron a taste. He was already eating eggs for his breakfast. I started off with a small ramekin of this kamu. When entering uncharted territory, being as noncommittal as possible is the best path forward. I ate that bowl, then another, then a third. (This was a small ramekin.) Aaron and I both agreed it was quite acceptable and we could eat it often without objection.
I would, however, be concerned about people objecting to the lumpiness if I didn’t have a stick blender.
So I made another batch and slightly modified the recipe. I figured mixing the powdered milk in with the flour would reduce the lumpiness substantially. I was right. J
Nigerian Kamu
2 cups water
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup powdered milk
¼ cup sugar
Bring the water to a boil. In a small bowl, combine the flour and powdered milk well. Remove the boiling water from the heat and immediately stir in the flour and milk mixture. Stir in the sugar. Serve immediately. Yield: 2-3 servings.
As you see, this recipe is about as basic as it gets for food storage. It’s a great way to incorporate whole wheat into the diet for those who are not yet confident about baking bread or who don’t have a mill for grinding the wheat finely. It can be prepared over a fire or camp stove, probably even tea light candles if you have enough to bring water to a boil. It could even be prepared on the road with boiling water carried in a good thermos.
And you don’t have to wait until all you have left in storage are the bare basics. You can make it now and it would be really good with fresh or dried fruit and nuts. It isn’t fortified like Cream of Wheat, but it does have the bonus of no synthetic additives and using freshly ground wheat.
Family reviews: Aaron and I were the only guinea pigs. Based on what I read of the ingredients, I was sure it would taste like glue or paste. It didn’t and was really pretty good. Will I make it again soon? Probably not. I mean, I don’t often make oatmeal—like maybe once every year or so. And I like this better than oatmeal. I’m just not a hot cereal person.
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