Soaked garri also known as cassava flakes is a perfect Nigerian cereal that is popular. Garri can also be eaten as a snack without actually cooking just by pouring it on a deep bowl and then add sugar or honey, milk, groundnut with cold water. However, it can also be mixed in hot water to make Eba and serve with Egusi soup or any other Nigerian soup.
Soaked garri is an energy giving food and is mostly eating in the afternoon especially in Nigeria. Some people can’t really do without drinking garri each passing day, at this point; moderation is still the key to a balanced diet.
Back in the days of boarding school it is called GSM (Garri, sugar, and milk), soakis, asoaky, and was baptized as cassava flakes. It foods that advertise itself and a most have in school even at home.
What is the English Name for Garri?
The English name for garri is granulated cassava, Coarse-grain cassava or cassava granular and pronounced as gari by many tribes in Nigerian. Granulated cassava is also known as garri, gali, gari, garry, or tapioca in West African.
What is Soaked Garri?
Soaking garri, cassava flakes, drinking ijebu garri is a method by which the garri is soaked in water and other toppings like milk, roasted groundnuts, sugar or honey is added to enjoy the soaked gari cereal better.
Garri is gotten from fermented cassava. Cassava tubers when harvested fresh from the farm, the next step is to peel, after that wash, grated, and transfer into a bag and tie; Thereafter press using the adjustable machine to remove excess water(starch). Allow to ferment and dry, then sieve before frying to make gari using a clay pot.
Moreover, when frying for yellow garri, palm oil is added to form the yellow color of garri, the white garri is fried plain without oil.
The moment pan-frying of the gari is complete, speed it out allow to cool, subsequently, pack in a sack bag ready for sale for mass production or consumption if it is for personal use.
Locally, cassava tubers can also be used to produce Tapioca (Abacha), Akpu (Fufu), and Garri (Granulated cassava).
Best Garri for Drinking – Ijebu Garri
The best garri for drinking still remain Ijebu garri because of its sour taste and that sour taste is caused by the number of days it took while sitting on the rack before frying.
Certainly, adding milk and sugar into the sour taste of Ijebu garri is just the ultimate and you will always want to take more.
Most people from the Eastern part of Nigerian prefer the yellow gari for drinking.
Health Benefit of Soaked Garri with Milk
Garri is a good source of carbohydrate, rich in fiber that aids digestive as well as prevents stomach cancer, cassava root also contains calcium and iron. While the milk contains calcium for healthy bone mass, protein repairs muscle tissue, potassium is for healthy blood pressure, vitamin D equally for bones, Vitamin B12 very essential for the production of red blood cells, and Phosphorus.
Gari and kuli-kuli is a popular cereal in the Northern part of Nigerian. Kuli kuli (in Hausa Language) is derived from processed groundnut.
Different Ways to Enjoy Soaked Garri Nigerian Style
Below is a list of Nigerian dishes that can be combined with soaked garri:
- Moi moi with soaked garri
- Beans and garri (Porridge beans and garri)
- Garri served with kuli-kuli peanut, sugar and milk
- Soaked garri served with fried or smoked fish
- Drinking garri with coconut, milk and sugar
- Garri with avocado pear and sugar
- Almond milk with garri and sugar
- Roasted Nigerian pear with garri
- Cashew nuts with garri, sugar and milk
- Garri served with banana, milk, and groundnuts
- Cassava flakes with tiger nuts and coconut
- Garri served with akara
- Soaking only garri with a pinch of salt and groundnut
How Many Calories are in Garri
How many calories are there in a cup of gari? This food is derived from cassava tubers which are rich in carbohydrate. A single cup of garri has approximately 360 calories of which about 99 percent is pure carbohydrate.
Basically, regular consumption of this food increases the level of carb intake that might lead to unavoidable weight gain. Well for those on weight loss diet plan is a no go area.
Is Drinking Garri Good For a Pregnant Woman?
Lots of pregnant women like drinking garri either morning, afternoon, or night. Sincerely, the sour taste of the garri prevents vomit.
The Lassa fever outbreak was transmitted by a rodent (rat) and several pregnant women died from Lassa fever because the garri was not properly covered from a rodent that infected the garri through its urine. Pregnant women should avoid drinking gari.
Endeavor to make your soaked garri healthy by adding milk and preferable Honey in place of sugar or go for Eba. When soaking garri you will need 1 cup of garri with 2 -3 cups of water.
Ingredients for Soaked Garri
- ½ cup Garri
- 2 cups of sugar or honey (optional)
- ½ cup roasted groundnuts
- 1 ½ cup of water
- Milk (powdered)
If you are using liquid milk reduce the quantity of water. Pour all ingredients in a plate and add water, stir and your appetizing smoked garri is ready.
Serve and enjoy!
What is the Side Effects of Garri?
Gari is gotten from cassava tubers and it contains hydrocyanic acid, but the rigorous process gari passes through helps reduce the Cyanide content. So, the disadvantage of consuming garri excessively is because Cyanide is linked to eye defects.
According to Dr. Ben Ajayi an Ophthalmologist, “Cyanide is slightly similar in structure to Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin). So it competes with Vitamin B12 replacing it and adversely affecting rapidly growing tissues that are regularly being renewed such as the skin, peripheral nerves, and the nerves of the eye (optic nerve). It is the involvement of optic nerve which can lead to eye defect and blindness.
