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    Home » Rice Recipes » Tuwo Shinkafa/Rice Tuwo

    Published: Oct 25, 2015 · Modified: Aug 4, 2019 by Ajoke

    Tuwo Shinkafa/Rice Tuwo

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    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.

    image of tuwo shinkafa made into balls.

    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.

    tuwo shinkafa in a brown ceramic bowl with a side of gbegiri also in the same coloured bowl

    Ingredients

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

    Water

    Hand blender/wooden ladle (turning stick)

    two different types of rice in two separate ramekins 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.

     process shot of making tuwo shinkafa

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

    overhead shot of tuwo shinkafa made into balls
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    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 minutes mins
    Cook Time40 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes 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

    If you made this recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. erioluwa praise says

      December 04, 2021 at 6:28 am

      5 stars
      Thanks, I tried it and it was lovely wow!

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        January 03, 2022 at 11:03 am

        Thank you for the feedback, Erioluwa.

        Reply
    2. Jeremiah says

      August 30, 2020 at 6:49 pm

      Wow thank you so much
      my boss asked me to do tuwo rice for him I never knew how to explain to him I don't know how to do it and following your instructions I just did it great.. Thanks once again

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        September 08, 2020 at 10:43 pm

        Well done Jeremiah, I am happy you pulled it off and thank you for trusting my recipe too.

        Reply
    3. Folashade says

      May 02, 2020 at 12:40 pm

      I knew Tuwo shinkafa when I was growing up in the northern part of Nigeria, it’s usually prepared then by the Hausas and Nupes, I also learned how to cook it by looking at them , but I didn’t see them put flour, the Tuwo is always starchy and becomes hard when it is cool, it Left over can be eating the next day , it can be eating with ego, egusi and okro, but I like to it with Gbegiri and stew.

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

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    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

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