Have you guys ever heard of fonio?
It’s the barbarian name of a small grain that has been used for thousands of years in West Africa. Fonio looks a bit like brown sugar, it’s a very small grain. It’s naturally gluten-free, has an earthy, nutty flavor and a texture similar to couscous when cooked. It’s also rich in fiber, protein, iron, and calcium. I still wonder why I didn’t try it sooner!
These fonio balls are super tender and served in an African-inspired peanut sauce. Ready?
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 cooked fonio, 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, I went with a mix of ground cumin, chili, paprika, coriander, fenugreek, and cinnamon. This mix is inspired by famous African spice blends like Ras el Hanout, or Berbere. If you have those in your pantry, feel free to use it instead of the different spices.
Once the balls are shaped, shallow-fry 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.
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, it 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 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, it’s tender, creamy and packed with flavor. Seriously!
If you are looking for more recipes using fonio, stay tuned I have a few more in the works!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Fonio Balls in African Peanut Sauce
Tender fonio balls served in a delicious coconut peanut sauce flavored with spices, ginger, and garlic.
Yield: 12-14 balls (about 4 servings) 1x
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Pin RecipeIngredients
Fonio Balls
- 1 cup fonio
- 2 and 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup quick oats (or rolled oats)
- 1/2 tsp harissa paste
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground chili
- 1 tsp each: paprika and coriander
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
Coconut Peanut Sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 carrot, finely sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup water (you might have to use 3/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground chili
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
Fonio Balls
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the fonio and toast for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until no liquid remains, about 7-8 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked fonio to the bowl of a food processor. Add the oats, harissa paste, onion, garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Process for 20-30 seconds, scraping down the sides regularly until everything is well combined and the mixture is sticky enough to form balls. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Using your hands, form balls (about 3 tablespoons of the mixture per ball). Transfer to a large plate or dish lined with parchment paper and set aside. You should get about 12 balls.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the balls and rotate the skillet to coat the balls with oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly until the balls are golden brown on each side. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Coconut Peanut Sauce
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, garlic, and grated ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add the carrot and red bell pepper, and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
- Pour in the coconut milk, peanut butter, water, tomato paste, coconut sugar, ground chili, and salt. Stir well to combine everything. For a thinner sauce, use 3/4 cup water instead of 1/2 cup. Taste and adjust salt, or sugar if needed. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer the fonio balls to the sauce and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Top with peanuts, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley. Serve immediately on top of rice, or simply with a green salad.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 (of 4)
- Calories: 565
- Sugar: 6.6g
- Fat: 32g
- Carbohydrates: 57.1g
- Fiber: 8.2g
- Protein: 15.5g
So creative + beautiful!
Thanks Dana!
Hey Thomas
Do you think I can use Bulgur instead of the fonio to make these balls?
Dish looks delicious, hopefully I’ll make it this evening 😉
grts
Hey Maarten, yes I think bulgur will be a great substitute!
Hi Thomas, I slightly changed your recipes. I added some fish sauce instead of salt and added the zest and juice of 1 lime to add some acidity and decrease a bit the fatness of the peanut butter and coconut milk. Very nice and tanks for the inspiration. I bought my first bag of Folio 2 days ago and was looking for ideas when I found your recipe. You look very young so congratulations for the creativity.
Hi Enrica,
Thanks for sharing your tweaks 😉 Happy to hear you liked the recipe!
Ah, yes I have to update my photo, it’s a few years old now 🙂
What do you mean by barbarian name?
‘Fonio’ is the (bad) transcription of the Pulaar ‘finiyé’ by French colons , which probably doesn’t sound less barbarian to you. But I bet ‘burger” would sound as barbarian to them as fonio to you.
This was a little joke Rosa 🙂
This looks good. I have just come across this grain and went looking for recipes. Several other posts suggest washing fonio before use. What do you think? If I wash it, even with draining well, it will be pretty wet and not very amenable to toasting. Any recommendations or thoughts about rinsing the fonio and then toasting it? Thanks
I would try toasting it and then washing, or just skip the toasting process, it should still taste good 😉
Barbarian name??? Are you kidding!!
Just an expression to refer to a word that is unknown…no need to feel offended at all.
Well, 1. That’s not the meaning of the word Barbarian; 2. Unknown to who? The grain is literally of West African origin and you’re saying what we call it is the Barbarian name? That’s disrespectful at best, Thomas.
Do you think that quinoa would work with this recipe, if so what if any changes should be made?
★★★★
I’m afraid the balls would fall apart if using quinoa.
I replaced the fonio with millet and it was Delicious! Perfect and comforting for this cold weather.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks Sara!
”Barbarian” name? Really?
sounding like the colonizers son..
Ever tried baking the balls instead of frying?
★★★★★
I have never tried, but these are not deep-fried so it doesn’t absorb too much oil.
I’m eager to try this recipe. What kind of chile are you referring to when you say “ground chili?” Where I am, there is a huge variety of chiles that are available in ground form. If you don’t know specifically what type of chile it is, what is the flavor like? Is it hot? Sweet? Smoky?
I’m referring to chili mix spice that usually also contains cumin. It’s hot but not as hot as cayenne pepper powder.