Tigernut Milk

I’m still searching for the perfect cream for my coffee. Currently I am most happy with a combination of my homemade almond milk and a splash of coconut milk for a bit of thickness. However, I’m always open to new ideas and a while back I had seen a post by Jenny McGruther over at Nourished Kitchen for tigernut milk. I had never heard of a tigernut so although the post was interesting I moved on in my online wanderings at the time. 

But recently I found a bag of tiger nuts, at Homesense of all places, and so despite their $10 price tag I picked up a bag and dug up the recipe. Turns out that tigernut milk is a well known drink in both Spain, where it is called Horchata and in Nigeria where it is known as Kunnu Aya. 

I wasn’t paying close attention to Jenny’s recipe so I just used the same technique as for almond milk; soak your tigernuts, blend with water and strain through a nut bag. 

You can add flavouring as Jenny does with the addition of a few cardamom pods and some cinnamon, which is what I tried. I also added a few dates for sweetening instead of jaggery – though if you taste a tigernut right out of the bag, these little tubers (no they are not really nuts) have a slightly sweet taste to begin with.

Here’s the thing though. I’m not sure I love it. The resulting milk, though tasty enough, was lacking in the creaminess that I’m looking for in my coffee. It also created this very starchy sludge at the bottom of the container when it was stored. Think cornstarch and water left on the counter for an hour. Maybe it was because I didn’t follow the exact recipe, letting the mixture sit in the fridge first, or that I squeezed the nut bag instead of using a strainer. I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll have to try again…

Plan B – eating them out of hand, which is suggested on the bag that I bought is also a bit of an odd experience. They taste fine, but they feel weird to eat. They start out feeling like they’d be too hard to bite. They’re not, they definitely give and munching on one or two is fine. After a few though I get that same starchy feeling.

Nutritionally tigernuts are high in fibre but also pretty high in carbohydrate, which to my mind explains the starchiness. The package that I purchased, from Ecoideas, states that they are high in energy, which also is likely due to the high carb count. Ecoideas’ website says this about tigernuts:

• Nature’s richest source of FIBRE – 41%!
• Curbs the appetite (due to high fibre content)
• Rich in phosphorous, potassium and Vit E and C
• Positive effect on cholesterol levels due to high Vit E content
• Gluten Free and naturally sweet tasting
• Suitable for diabetics
• Suitable nut alternative
• Helps to maintain a healthy colon
• Supports the heart and activates blood circulation
• Regenerating food for the nervous system
• Performance-enhancing as a high source of energy for work, school and exercise
• Valuable source of easily digested protein, carbohydrates and essential iron
• Provides high quality fats, with a particularly high oleic acid content

As a good nut alternative, they might work in baked goods. I might have to give that a try.

If anyone has any other ideas for what to do with a tigernut, I have a half a bag to use up so I’m all ears.

Tigernut Milk

Author: Jenny McGruther

An interesting milk substitute

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Ingredients

• 1 C raw tigernuts
• 3 C water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 whole cardamom pods
• 3 whole dates pitted

Instructions

1. Cover tiger nuts with water and allow to soak overnight
2. Place all ingredients into a high power blender
3. Blend until very smooth, about 1 minute
4. Pour mixture into a nut bag over a pitcher and allow to drain. Squeeze out extra moisture gently. Discard pulp
5. Refrigerate and use within a few days

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Nourished Kitchen