Tuwo Shinkafa/Rice Tuwo

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I seriously can’t believe it took me almost twenty-something years before I made my own tuwo shinkafa or rice tuwo/balls as fondly called. I have recently turned a nuisance but in a good way. Lol, if I’m meeting someone for the first time, ten minutes into our conversation I’m already talking about food or asking food-related questions.

I met a lovely lady at work recently and she told me her favourite swallow is tuwo rice and her favourite soup is gbegiri. Truth be told, I never knew you could eat the two combinations. Talk about the ignorance of the highest order. No vex abeg, anytime I hear tuwo shinkafa, my mind is always travelling towards the Northern Nigerian part.

Thank God for God and Zee. Zee was kind enough to explain how she usually makes her own. She told me the brand of rice she uses instead of the regular long-grain rice. Another tip she gave was that she usually add about a tablespoon of flour to her tuwo shinkafa. I didn’t use this as the rice I used was really sticky and there was no need for it. Also, small grain rice is best used for tuwo shinkafa but according to Zee, her mum would never use Arborio rice for hers but regular long-grain rice, Tolly boy brand to be precise.

I’m kind of guessing that is where the addition of flour comes into place. Rice tuwo is very easy to make and very quick too. Madam Zee told me she uses a hand mixer to make her job easy but you can use the wooden ladle too if that is what you have. Apparently, you can use rice tuwo to eat almost any Nigerian soup. It is mostly eaten with Miyan Kuka and Miyan Taushe by the Hausa’s in the Northern part of Nigeria. Only God knows where I have been all this while and why it took me this long.

Tuwo rice is quite filling and I’ll be trying it out with long grain rice very soon too, to be able to choose the one that works for me best. I’m excited about the latest addition to my morsel-carb staple. Have you eaten tuwo shinkafa or are you a latecomer like me too? Share your experience with me here and I would be happy to read from you all.

Ingredients

500g Arborio rice (any other small grain or long grain rice would do just fine too)

Water

Hand blender/wooden ladle (turning stick)

Arborio rice and long grain rice

How to make tuwo shinkafa

Rinse the rice and place in a pan, cover with enough water to cook about 3 inches high and place on a medium heat. Keep an eye on the rice to avoid burning and add more water if needed. The rice can be very tricky to cook but if you keep the heat on a medium heat, you shouldn’t have any trouble with it. Cook rice till it is soggy and mushy. If you have a hand mixer, here is the time to get it out to make your job faster and a lot easier and if you don’t have a hand mixer, get your wooden ladle, time to work those arms baby. Use the hand mixer to smoothen the rice together till it all comes together and sticky. Same method applies if you are using the wooden ladle. Serve the tuwo rice as you would with any other swallow and pair with soup of choice. I served mine with gbegiri. OMG, it was too good to be true.

NOTE: don’t beat yourself if rice is not as smooth as amala, eba etc. Expect some lumps, It is totally acceptable.

Print Recipe

Tuwo Shinkafa

Tuwo shinkafa or rice tuwo/balls as fondly called is a type of swallow popularly eaten in the Northern part of Nigeria. Tuwo shinkafa is made with rice and it can be eaten with any type of Nigerian soups

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Nigerian

Keyword: Tuwo, Tuwo shinkafa

Servings: 4

Author: Ajoke

Ingredients

• 500 g Arborio rice any other small grain or long grain rice would do just fine too
• Water
• Hand blender/wooden ladle turning stick

Instructions

• Rinse the rice and place in a pan, cover with enough water to cook about 3 inches high and place on medium heat. Keep an eye on the rice to avoid burning and add more water if needed. The rice can be very tricky to cook but if you keep the heat on medium heat, you shouldn’t have any trouble with it. Cook rice till it is soggy and mushy. If you have a hand mixer, here is the time to get it out and your job faster and a lot easier and if you don’t have a hand blender, get your wooden ladle, time to work those arms baby. 

  Use the hand blender to mix the rice together till it all comes together and sticky. The same method applies if you are using a wooden ladle. Serve the tuwo rice as you would with any other swallow and pair with soup of choice. I served mine with gbegiri. OMG, it was too good to be true.

Notes

A quicker option for making tuwo shinkafa is using rice flour, trust me they taste the same

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