Introduction to Fonio: The Super Grain of West Africa

Fonio is a super grain that can be found across West Africa, and it's truly amazing when you discover its numerous benefits and versatility. As Chef JJ explains, fonio feels like sand but is packed with tons of protein and nutrition that makes it an excellent addition to your diet. Unlike quinoa or couscous, fonio doesn't require a lot of water to grow or rich soil, making it a staple grain in many West African countries where water resources are limited.

The Benefits of Fonio

Fonio is indeed a super grain that offers numerous benefits for your health and well-being. Chef JJ highlights the fact that fonio is packed with protein and nutrition, making it an excellent choice for those looking to incorporate more wholesome foods into their diet. Its unique nutritional profile makes it an ideal ingredient for a variety of dishes.

How to Cook Fonio

There are two fun ways to cook fonio, as explained by Chef JJ. The first method involves cooking fonio the same way you would cook couscous. For every cup of fonio, it requires two cups of liquid, and Chef JJ recommends using hot water with a plastic wrap on top for about five to ten minutes. This simple method yields fluffy and delicious results.

The Second Method: Cooking Fonio in a Pot

Alternatively, Chef JJ suggests cooking fonio directly in a pot with a little bit of oil, such as olive or coconut oil. By toasting the fonio really nicely, you can add your liquid and achieve truly amazing results. One cup of fonio yields four cups of cooked fonio, making it an incredibly cost-effective option.

The Versatility of Fonio

What's truly impressive about fonio is its versatility in cooking. Chef JJ explains that once you've cooked the fonio, you can flavor it with turmeric powder, add sautéed vegetables, or blend it into a flour to make your own phonio oil. With these simple steps, you can create a variety of dishes, such as phonio pancakes, fried chicken, eggplant parmesan, and more.

Conclusion

As Chef JJ concludes, fonio is indeed a super grain that offers numerous benefits for your health and well-being. Its versatility in cooking makes it an ideal ingredient for a wide range of dishes, from simple sides to elaborate meals. With its unique nutritional profile and cost-effective options, fonio is definitely worth incorporating into your kitchen repertoire.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enbonio is a super grain scene all across west africa you can literally do anything with it if you're thinking quinoa if you're thinking couscous this is your new favorite grain i'm chef jj and i'm here to teach you all about fonio look at this it feels like sand looks like sands but it is a super grain that's really good for you packed with tons of protein and and nutrition that is great for your diet so fonio doesn't need a lot of water to grow or rich soil that's why you've seen in a lot of west african countries that don't have a lot of water resource fonio is their go-to grain you can get fonio online just type it in you'll see a bunch of websites that pop up and even if you're lucky you might find it in a high-end grocery store near you so two fun ways to cook phonio first way is one of my favorite ways is the cooked fonio the same way you cook couscous for every cup of fonio it is two cups of liquid i have one cup of fonio here two cups of hot water and then take my plastic wrap put it on top put it to the side for about five to ten minutes and it'll be done the next way to cook fono is right in the pot a little bit of oil olive oil coconut oil any type of oil you like you toast the fonio really nice add in your liquid and it will come out truly amazing and fluffy for every one cup of fonio you cook it will then yield four cups so it becomes very cost effective now come on think about it this couscous or quinoa or any of these up rice or any of these other grains multiply like this that's impressive all right here we go it's our fonio from on top of the stove let's look at this one first look how fluffy that is and beautiful now let's look at our fonio that we were steaming in the bowl look at that so both of these will taste totally different i toasted this one in oil and i steamed this one straight but from this point now you can flavor it you can add some turmeric powder uh you can add in some sauteed vegetables you can take that phony oil you saw me cook and you can blend that fono up and make your own fonio flour what does that mean fono pancakes phonio fried chicken eggplant parmesan coated in fonio you can really do anything you want with fonio because it's so versatile i'm chef jj johnson and i hope i gave you all the tips about how to make fonio delicious in your kitchen youbonio is a super grain scene all across west africa you can literally do anything with it if you're thinking quinoa if you're thinking couscous this is your new favorite grain i'm chef jj and i'm here to teach you all about fonio look at this it feels like sand looks like sands but it is a super grain that's really good for you packed with tons of protein and and nutrition that is great for your diet so fonio doesn't need a lot of water to grow or rich soil that's why you've seen in a lot of west african countries that don't have a lot of water resource fonio is their go-to grain you can get fonio online just type it in you'll see a bunch of websites that pop up and even if you're lucky you might find it in a high-end grocery store near you so two fun ways to cook phonio first way is one of my favorite ways is the cooked fonio the same way you cook couscous for every cup of fonio it is two cups of liquid i have one cup of fonio here two cups of hot water and then take my plastic wrap put it on top put it to the side for about five to ten minutes and it'll be done the next way to cook fono is right in the pot a little bit of oil olive oil coconut oil any type of oil you like you toast the fonio really nice add in your liquid and it will come out truly amazing and fluffy for every one cup of fonio you cook it will then yield four cups so it becomes very cost effective now come on think about it this couscous or quinoa or any of these up rice or any of these other grains multiply like this that's impressive all right here we go it's our fonio from on top of the stove let's look at this one first look how fluffy that is and beautiful now let's look at our fonio that we were steaming in the bowl look at that so both of these will taste totally different i toasted this one in oil and i steamed this one straight but from this point now you can flavor it you can add some turmeric powder uh you can add in some sauteed vegetables you can take that phony oil you saw me cook and you can blend that fono up and make your own fonio flour what does that mean fono pancakes phonio fried chicken eggplant parmesan coated in fonio you can really do anything you want with fonio because it's so versatile i'm chef jj johnson and i hope i gave you all the tips about how to make fonio delicious in your kitchen you\n"