Musdalafa Lyaga│Miriam Kuvuna Mwaka from Kilifi county asks TOF Radio;
“Here in Kilifi we have plenty of Baobab trees growing in the wild and the fruits are in abundant. How best can we utilize these fruits?”
All over Africa, rural families enjoy a meal of maize flour porridge because it is tasty and easy to prepare. Taking porridge every morning has many health benefits including boosting energy and improving digestion.
In many African countries, porridge is also used to wean infants from mother’s breast milk. Even though porridge already has good nutritional properties like carbohydrates which provide slow-releasing energy, it can be enriched by adding further ingredients.
Baobab juice enriches porridge
Porridge contains mainly starch which is not enough for the nutritional needs of the farmer families. Women from arid, semi-arid and coastal areas can use baobab juice to enrich their porridge with minerals and vitamins.
Baobab is super food
The fruit pulp of the baobab tree, which grows naturally throughout the drier parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, is of high nutritional value. According to Emily Chai Chivatsi, who has been trained on enriching various foods like porridge, sauces, bread, mandazi (buns) and making juice using baobab, the fruits contains very high levels of minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium as well as vitamin C in comparison to other foods. Furthermore, it has high fibre content and is beneficial for human health and reduces the risk of diseases.
Due to these properties, baobab fruits are often called a super food.
If used as a food ingredient, baobab juice can greatly improve nutrition and help combat micronutrient deficiencies.
Select good fruits
Says Ms. Chivatsi, “Baobab juice is the basic ingredient for enriching the porridge, so you have to be careful to select good quality fruits for making baobab juice. I choose baobab fruit that are mature and free from dirt. Poor quality fruits can affect both the taste and nutritional value of the porridge.”
How to make Baobab porridge
Making porridge enriched with baobab juice at home is easy, observes Ms. Chivatsi. She says that most of the ingredients you need are right in your kitchen.
Ingredients
To make 4 cups of enriched porridge you will need 70g of maize flour, 1 cup of baobab juice, 1 cup of milk and 4 table spoonfuls of sugar. Before you start making baobab enriched porridge, make sure that everything is as clean as possible, so that the porridge will be safe for your family:
1.First, clean the kitchen utensils. Then wash your hands with soap and clean water.
2. Start by putting a clean pot on the fire and measure four cups of water.
3.Put the 4 cups of maize flour in the cold water and stir to dissolve the flour. Keep stirring to avoid lumps.
4. Add a little bit of water if the mixture is too thick. Continue stirring for 7-10 minutes.
5. Add milk and sugar stirring till dissolved. After a few minutes take the pot off the fire, wait for it to cool. As your porridge cools, you can start preparing baobab juice.
6. It is important to first wash your hands with clean water and soap before touching the fruits.
7. Pour water into a cup half-filled with baobab fruits and squeeze gently.
8. Now you can sieve the mixture, which is ready for addition to your porridge. Only add the baobab juice once the porridge has cooled. The vitamin C contained in baobab can easily be destroyed through heat, so only add it as the last step, once the porridge has sufficiently cooled.
9.Let the porridge stand for a few more minutes before serving.
Nutritious and tasty enriched porridge is easy to prepare at home and, will be enjoyed by your whole family, and they will love it and be happy and more productive both at the farm and in school.
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