Highlighting Indigenous African ingredients in my cooking has become a strong passion of mine. As the world is waking up and finally seeing the abundance and riches of the African kitchen, some of the ingredients we have been eating for centuries are becoming more and more readily available to more diverse audience. One such food is fonio. In this blog post, you will learn all about fonio, how to cook it and three simple and tasty fonio recipes to try
Fonio is a small but mighty grain indigenous small millet to the Sahel regions Africa (running from as far west as Senegal to just south of Egypt). It gets it name from the wolof word foño, a tribe in Senegal. Fonio is consumed by various tribes across the Sahel and used in different side dishes. The grain serves a role very similar to rice in tribes where it is a much more integral part of the diet. Currently, white fonio is more popular than black fonio because it is grown more through out the Western Sahel region. Black fonio is really only grown in certain countries like Nigeria
Why you should eat fonio
In terms of texture, fonio is akin to couscous. It cooks in a very similar manner but unlike couscous, it is a grain packed with nutrients and has a really earthy flavour to it. It is quite a fine grain, with very small individual pieces that are hard to distinguish raw. But when cooked it almost quadruples in size, which means more buck for your money.
The main reason you are probably here is to learn about the health benefits of fonio. First of all fonio is a gluten free grain, which is great for gluten sensitive people. The following graphic from the yolélé, the company I source my fonio from, perfectly summarizes the superfood nature of fonio.
Aside from all the great things about fonio, I think it is a fantastic grain because of how quickly it cooks and how well it can soak up any flavour you give it. Without further ado, here are three super easy and simple ways to make fonio
Where you can buy fonio
If you are interested in buying fonio, here are a couple of black-owned retailers I have come across. Please always purchase cultural ingredients from people of colour with actual ties to the places the product is coming from
Canada
@farafena— If you are on the west coast, make sure to also check out Farafena
@addablooms — My good friend Abena sells ancestral ingredients from Ghana, which also includes fonio. She is also very passionate about sustainable farming and preserving ancestral foods.
United States/ Worlwide
@yolelefoods they have a really extensive line of fonio with different flavours. Also@chefpierrethiamthe founder of Yolele is incredibly passionate about fonio. (click here for the website) You can also purchase their fonio in-store at Whole Foods nationwide and online worldwide. IK highly recommend their fonio chips
United Kingdom
@malobisofficial— Malobi is a black-owned company started by a Nigerian immigrant living in England. He sources all the fonio from Nigeria where it is also known as Acha
Ghana
@dimfonio— Also supporting female farmers in tamale so it’s a great initiative
Please make sure to share this post with your friends, audience and anyone who would benefit from this
How do you cook basic fonio
I find that there are different instructions on how to cook fonio but honestly I like to cook it like quinoa, more steaming than boiling because you can cook it without using too much water. This way you maintain a lot of flavour.
- 2 parts liquid (veggie broth is fantastic but water works just as well)
- 1 part fonio
- Salt to taste
- Boil the liquid in a pot. When it comes to a boil, add the fonio, mix, cover the pot well and cook at low for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes has passed, turn the stove off and let the fonio sit COVERED for 10 mins. DON’T touch it until the 10 mins pass. Then you can open it and fluff it up with a fork
This plain fonio is just as good as quinoa or brown rice or even better in your buddha bowl or grain bowls. It adds a nice nutty and earthy flavour that can elevate your bowls beyond just the plain rice or quinoa.
But if you are like me, you are extra and like to go the extra mile. In addition to just plain fonio, you can make these three super easy and creative modifications that can elevate the grain. I have been enjoying these in grain bowls and they have been fantastic and absolutely filling. They all follow the same cooking method as just plain fonio so you will notice a trend.
Jollof Fonio
As a proud Ghanaian, enjoying jollof has become a norm for me and I am always trying to find other healthier grains to use in the place of rice. If you want to read about the original jollof rice recipe, click here for the post
Ingredient: 2-3 servings
- 1/2 cup of dry fonio
- 3/4 cup veggie broth or water (salt free is best to have better control of salt)
- 1/4 cup tomato stew (recipes available in free ebook (link) and on instagram (link)
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (you can add more if you like spicy food)
- Salt to taste
Directions
- In a pot mix together the spices, broth/water, and tomato stew and let it come to a boil. Make sure to check for salt
- Once it starts to boil, add the fonio and cover the pot
- Lower the heat till low and let the fonio cook for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes has passed, turn off the heat and keep the pot in place. Do not touch it and do not move it. Let the pot sit for ten minutes.
- After ten minutes, you can open the cover and fluff the fonio
Mushroom Pilaf Fonio
This recipe is a play of the Ghanaian oil rice/pilaf using flavours I became more familiar with during my time in Tanzania like coriander seeds, black peppers with some Ghanaian aromatics like onion, garlic and ginger
Ingredient
- One clove of garlic crushed/minced
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1/3 cup dry mushrooms (oyster or shiitake are best)
- 1 tbsp of ginger minced
- 1/2 cup fonio
- 1 cup of veggie broth/water
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp each of coriander seeds finely grounded and black pepper
- 2 cardamon pods finely grounded (I usually grind the whole spices in a mortar with a pestle)
- 1/8 scotch bonnet pepper (completely optional)
- Salt to taste
Directions
- In a pot, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet pepper, spices and mushrooms in the coconut oil. If the pot starts to get dry deglaze with a little bit of water till the onions become soft. You do not want it to be too saucy otherwise it will throw off the liquid ratio. So add the water little at a time using only what you need
- Once the onions are nice and soft and translucent, add the veggie broth. Cover the pot till the broth comes to a boil
- Once it starts to boil, add the fonio and cover the pot
- Lower the heat till low and let the fonio cook for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes has passed, turn off the heat and keep the pot in place. Do not touch it and do not move it. Let the pot sit for ten minutes.
- After ten minutes, you can open the cover and fluff the fonio
Curry Spiced Fonio
I love curry powder because it is honestly the perfect mix of spices: ginger powder, turmeric, coriander powder, all giving such a rich and deep flavour. I wanted a fonio recipe that was also nice and bright hence the turmeric.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fonio
- 1 cup of veggie broth/water
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp each of turmeric, black pepper and garlic powder
- 1/4 cup frozen veggies
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Take the frozen veggies out in a bowl to thaw at room temperature
- In a pot mix together the spices and broth/water
- Once it starts to boil, add the fonio and cover the pot
- Lower the heat till low and let the fonio cook for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes has passed, turn off the heat and keep the pot in place. Do not touch it and do not move it. Let the pot sit for ten minutes.
- After ten minutes, you can open the cover and then add the frozen now thawed veggies. Cover the pot for about 1-2 minutes for the frozen veggies to completely thaw. Once the time has passed, fluff the fonio with a fork
Some of my favourite ways to enjoy fonio
What you can serve your bowls with a variety of toppings
- I like to serve these with some fried or baked plantains
- This goes well with a super simple veggie salad or steamed vegetables
- I like to add my sh*to to the bowl (recipe click here)
- For protein source, my lentil peanut stew (click here) works well with each as well as my roasted chickpeas (click here) from the roasted chickpea and veggie bowl
- My toppings change everytime depending on the veggies and plant based protein I have available to me
Pin Recipes for Later
