Recipe: Fonio with Vegetables

A hearty dish with peas and lots of vegetables. Martin provided us with this recipe that he developed himself. Martin Bokonon-Ganta used to work in the gebana warehouse and is originally from Benin. He grew up in the countryside in a large family. They lived mainly on what nature gave them, including various tubers and root crops as well as cereals. From an early age, he was regularly in the kitchen and thus learned how to prepare traditional dishes for the whole family. He shared with us his recipe for a milk fonio with vanilla.

Ingredients

• 150 g fonio
• 400 ml water
• 2-3 tbsp oil or butter
• A cube of bouillon and/or salt
• Pepper
• Chili
• Spices and herbs to taste: saffron, oregano
• A few mushrooms, sliced
• One onion, chopped
• A few tomatoes, cut into eighths
• Various vegetables: cabbage, peas, courgettes...

Preparation

1. Soak the fonio in 150 ml of cold water.
2. Stir, cover and leave to rest until the fonio has absorbed the water (5-10 min).
3. Heat the oil or butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and vegetables (except tomatoes), 1/3 cube of bouillon and the spices and herbs. Sauté for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season with salt and spices.
4. On low heat, add the fonio and stir in gently. Continue to cook with the lid on for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and cook until the fonio has absorbed the liquid (max. 5 min).
5. Stir in the tomatoes and peas (if using) and leave to warm for up to 5 minutes. Done!