Hausa koko

Name: Hausa koko
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Ghana
Ingredients: 200 g millet flour; 1.2 L water; 3 cm fresh ginger, grated; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp ground black peppercorns; 2 cloves, ground; 1 pinch of salt; Sugar to serve

Local name: Hausa koko

The ginger and chilli millet porridge Ghana drinks at breakfast, with fried dough balls to dip in it.

Published on 9 September 2026·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#millet#porridge#ginger#breakfast#ghana

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Whisk the millet flour into 400 ml cold water with the ginger and spices. Leave for 10 minutes.
Bring the remaining 800 ml of water to the boil in a heavy pan.
Pour the cold mixture into the boiling water, whisking without stopping.
Lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring, until the porridge coats the whisk.
Salt it, then loosen with a little hot water if it thickens too far.
Serve in bowls, sweeten at the table and dip bofrot doughnuts in it.

The name comes from the Hausa of northern Nigeria, who brought the porridge south into Ghana. The whisk matters: poured in without stirring, the flour sets into lumps you cannot rescue.

The techniques this recipe uses

Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 199 kcal
Protein: 5.6 g
Fat: 2.2 g
Carbohydrate: 39.5 g
Fibre: 2.1 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

My porridge is full of lumps. Can I save it?

Barely: once the flour has seized into knots in boiling water, no amount of whisking breaks them up. The method is to slake the flour in 400 ml of cold water first, then pour that cold mixture into the boiling water while whisking without stopping.

Can I make hausa koko ahead?

It thickens a great deal as it cools and sets. Reheat it gently, whisking in a little hot water as the recipe already suggests when it stiffens, until it coats the whisk again.

Why sweeten at the table rather than in the pot?

The porridge is cooked salted and spiced, and each person adjusts the sugar in their own bowl. One pot then suits different tastes, and you can dip bofrot into it without the whole thing turning sweet.

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