If at this point, you haven’t heard or read about fonio, then it means you have not been following us. For quite some time now, we have been publishing some of the Continent and vegan food delicacies prepared with either our own home-processed Fonio grain or Fonio flour, both verified gluten-free by Eurofins.
It’s never too late to learn about near things and in particular to get to know about the extraordinary health benefits of our Fonio products.
For those of you who are still new to this rediscovered superfood, Fonio grain looks a bit like brown sugar, it’s the smallest grain ever cultivated in the world. Fonio is naturally gluten-free, has an earthy, nutty flavor, and a texture similar to couscous when cooked.
Fonio is also rich in fiber, protein, iron, and calcium.
This recipe is lip-smacking and I dare you to try it.
These Fonio balls are super tender and served in an African-inspired peanut sauce. We will dish in the Ghanaian peanut sauce or soup, as we call it here.
Ready?
RECIPE
For a more savory recipe, try making these Fonio balls (similar to the local Ghanaian rice balls), which feature an African peanut sauce using OTI Premium Gluten Free Fonio grain. The Fonio balls should feature oats, harissa paste, diced onions, garlic, tomato paste, and a number of seasonings such as cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, fenugreek, and ground chili.
METHOD
We start by cooking the Fonio. Since it is a very small grain (a bit smaller than millet), it cooks very quickly. Just 7 minutes in boiling water and it’s ready!
The mixture for the balls is easy to prepare. You process the precooked OTI Gluten-Free Fonio grain, oats, spices, and aromatics like garlic and onion in a food processor until everything is well combined and sticky enough to form balls.
For the spices - Go with a mix of ground cumin, chili, paprika, coriander, fenugreek, and cinnamon. This mix is inspired by famous African spice blends. If you have other natural spices in your pantry, feel free to use them instead of the spices listed above.
Once the balls are shaped, shallow-fry with coconut oil in a skillet until golden brown. What I like about these Fonio balls is how well they hold together. You don’t have to worry about them falling apart.
Before we jump to the preparation of our peanut sauce or soup, let me inform you that with OTI Gluten-Free Fonio, you don’t need to wash it before using it. It’s so clean that you don’t only have to pour it in your pan and off you go.
Now onto the sauce!
Cook some onions, garlic, and ginger until fragrant, then add carrots and red bell peppers. The addition of carrots and peppers not only adds sweetness but also gives the dish more texture. I personally like to keep the carrots slightly crunchy.
When the carrots are cooked, pour in the full-fat coconut milk, a generous amount of natural peanut butter, water to thin out, spices, and some coconut sugar to balance with the spices.
Do not try to reduce the amount of peanut butter or use light coconut milk; it just won’t be as good. Okay, the sauce is rich but it’s really the star of the dish.
Finally, you add the Fonio balls to the sauce, stir to coat and let simmer for a few more minutes to let the balls soak up the flavors of the sauce.
These Fonio balls are delicious with a simple green salad or on top of rice for a filling and nutritious meal. I’m sure you will love this recipe.
Well, I did. It's tender, creamy, and packed with flavor.
Seriously!
If you are looking for more recipes using OTI Gluten-Free Fonio grain, stay tuned to this blog!
For this recipe, you could actually use OTI Gluten-Free White Fonio flour. It will also do the trick. This is up to you.
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
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