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Fonio with vegetables
Steamed fonio from the Casamance and Sahel with a tomato and vegetable sauce
Fonio is a tiny ancient grain grown in the Sahel and in southern Senegal's Casamance and Fouta regions, where it is steamed like couscous and eaten with a vegetable or peanut sauce. It cooks in minutes and has a light, nutty taste, which has made it popular again in Dakar restaurants. Here it is fluffed with a little oil and topped with a quick stew of courgette, carrot, aubergine and tomato. Chef's tip: wash fonio in several changes of water and drain it in a fine sieve; it often carries fine sand, and gritty fonio is the most common complaint.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fonio
For the vegetables
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz fonio in a bowl, cover with cold water, swirl and pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 3–4 times, then drain in a fine sieve and leave any grit behind in the bowl.
Step 2: Warm 2 tbsp groundnut oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Cook 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add 2 cloves garlic, 1 carrot and 1 small aubergine and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the aubergine softens.
10 minStep 3: Add 1 courgette, 3 tomatoes, 1 green chilli, ½ tsp dried thyme and ½ tsp salt. Cover and simmer for 8–10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the tomatoes have made a sauce.
10 minStep 4: Meanwhile bring 2 cups boiling water to the boil with ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp groundnut oil in a pan. Stir in the fonio, cover, take off the heat and leave for 5 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Common mistake: too much water — fonio needs exactly twice its volume, or it turns to porridge.
5 minStep 5: Fluff the fonio with a fork, rubbing out any clumps; it should look like fine, dry couscous. Pile into bowls, spoon over the vegetables and scatter with 1 tbsp parsley.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fonio with vegetables take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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