Thiakry is a sweet creamy millet couscous or couscous dessert from the Gambia and Senegal. Thiakry is the most popular dessert in The Gambia, It is made using yoghurt, couscous, spices and sugar. This delightful dessert is easy to make, fresh, and creamy with a beautiful hint of coconut.
Thiakry is from the Gambia and Senegal. Most traditional varieties are made using wholegrain millet flour, hand-rolled into tiny balls. It is then steamed and added to the yoghurt base. Due to the labour intensive, people started substituting millet couscous by using couscous. Couscous is quicker to cook and still gives you a delicious Thiakry. This is a family favourite recipe that I have made countless times and is fail-proof. This is the perfect dessert for your summer or dinner parties. In the Gambia, Thiakry is eaten as a snack or dessert. It is served cold without any garnish. But I will recommend garnishing yours with nuts for a well-rounded snack.
In every Gambian party or ceremony, you will find a Sauce Yassa, Baobab Juice (Bouye) and Thiakry as desert. If you love this recipe please do leave a review.
Ingredients
- Couscous: It is easy and quick to cook using hot water and then steaming it in the microwave. This is the base of the Thiakry recipe.
- Yoghurt: It gives the Thiakry a creamy and rich texture with a hint of sourness.
- Desiccated coconut: This is a core ingredient used while making Thiakry, it provides texture and a beautiful hint of coconut flavour. This makes the difference between a good Thiakry and an excellent Thiakry.
- Raisins: Raisins add a different texture with a slight hint of sweet and sour.
- Evaporated milk: This adds a more complex flavour combined with the Yogurt.
- Salt: This amplifies the flavour of the Thiakry and balances the sweetness.
- Nutmeg: It adds a grounding and earthy flavour.
- Vanilla Bean paste: Back home in The Gambia we use Vanilla essence because it is readily available. However, I prefer using Vanilla bean paste which gives an authentic vanilla flavour. It also compliments the flavours of the Thiakry.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Add the raw couscous to a large microwavable safe bowl.
Step 2: Add two cups of hot water, cover the bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
Step 3: When the couscous has absorbed all the water, put the bowl in your microwave and cook the couscous for 5 minutes on high.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, add the Yogurt.
Step 7: Gently mix them until well combined.
Step 9: Add the couscous to the Yogurt and gently mix it until well combined.
Step 11: Thiakry is ready, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge until cold. Enjoy.
Step 4: Now that the couscous is cooked and soft. Fluff the couscous using a fork, set aside and leave to cool down.
Step 6: Add the evaporated milk, nutmeg, vanilla bean paste and salt to the Yogurt.
Step 8: Add the sugar and gently mix it until well combined.
Step 10: Add the raisins and desiccated coconut, and mix well until combined.
Step 12: Serve in a dessert bowl, garnish with nuts if you are fancy. However, it is traditionally served without garnish.
Substitutions
- Vegetarian - Substitute the natural Greek yoghurt and Evaporated milk with a vegan alternative such as coconut yoghurt.
Storage
Fridge: Thiakry tastes better after a day in the Fridge. You can store it in small tight containers for a week. However, I will recommend eating it within two days due to the dairy content.
FAQ
Thiakry is a delicious creamy sweet dessert originally from The Gambia and Senegal. It is made of steamed millet couscous, or couscous, natural Greek yoghurt, and sugar. Nutmeg and Vanilla bean paste are added with Desiccated coconut and Raisins.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are some of my favourite dishes to serve with Thiakry:
Recipe
Thiakry (Chakry)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 1x
Description
Thiakry is a sweet creamy millet couscous or couscous dessert from the Gambia and Senegal. Thiakry is the most popular dessert in The Gambia, It is made using yoghurt, couscous, spices and sugar. This delightful dessert is easy to make, fresh, and creamy with a beautiful hint of coconut.
Ingredients
- 160grams of Couscous
- 2 cups of Hot Water (480mls)
- 1 kilograms of Greek Style Natural Yogurt
- 410grams of Evaporated Milk (1 Can)
- 1 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
- 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Bean Paste
- Pinch of Salt
- ¾ cup of Sugar (180ml)
- ⅔ cup of Raisins (160ml)
- ⅔ cup of Desiccated Coconut (160ml)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl (Microwave safe) add the couscous with two cups of hot water, cover and set aside for 5 minutes. When all the water has been absorbed by the couscous, now put it inside a microwave and cook it on high heat for 5 minutes. After five minutes, remove it from the microwave, gently fluff it using a fork and set aside to cool down.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add the yoghurt, evaporated milk, nutmeg, vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix it using a large spoon until well combined. Now add the sugar and mix it until combined.
- Now, add the cool couscous to the yoghurt, and gently mix it in until combined. Add the desiccated coconut and raisins, and mix it until combined. It is ready to be served. I will recommend covering the bowl and putting the Thiakry into the Fridge until cold. Serve alone or garnish with nuts and pomegranate seeds if you want to be fancy.
Notes
Traditionally it is served without any garnish. However, when I want to be fancy I sometimes garnish it with fresh pomegranate seeds and mixed nuts.
Thiakry can be eaten cool without putting it in the fridge, however, most people prefer it cold, especially due to the scorching Sun in The Gambia.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Steam
- Cuisine: African (Gambia & Senegal)