Gnon de Fonio is a traditional Burkinabe recipe (from Burkina Faso) for a classic vegetarian stew of edible bean leaves, fonio millet and peanuts in an onion and garlic base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Burkinabe version of: Gnon de Fonio.
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Fonio is a West African small grain in the millet family. It represents the seeds of the Digitaria exilis plant. They are a staple of some populations and are gaining in popularity for being disease resistant. This is a classic sauce typically served with balls of steamed couscous.
Bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil, add the washed fonio and parboil for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Wash the ban leaves well, drain in a colander then place in a mortar and pound to a paste. Add the potash along with the parboiled fonio, ground peanuts, salt, onion and garlic. Pound to a paste then add a little water.
Heat a frying pan, add the vegetable oil and when hot add the bean and fonio mixture. Fry until heated through and serve.
For the couscous balls, bring a pan of water to a boil, add the couscous and boil for a couple of minutes. Drain the couscous, shape into balls, place in a steamer and cook for 6 minutes.
