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Guinean · West African

Fonio with peanut sauce

Non-vegetarian

Light, fluffy steamed fonio — Guinea's ancient grain — served with a chicken, tomato and peanut sauce. Fonio cooks in minutes and is naturally gluten-free.

Fonio with peanut sauce is a Guinean main course, ready in about 1 hour and made with fonio, chicken thigh and peanut butter. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
734

Ingredients

4 servings

For the fonio

For the sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Brown the chicken in the oil, then add the onion (opens in a new tab) and cook until soft. Stir in the tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and fry 3 minutes.

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Whisk the peanut butter (opens in a new tab) with the sauce water and add with the chilli and salt. Simmer gently, stirring often, until thick and the oil rises, about 30 minutes.

    • 30 min
    • low heat

    Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Rinse the fonio (opens in a new tab) in several changes of water to remove grit. Put it in a pan with the salt, pour over the boiling water, cover and leave on the lowest heat for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

  4. Step 4

    Serve the fonio (opens in a new tab) with the peanut sauce spooned over.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Guinea · Commonly attributedGuinea is the world's largest fonio producer; peanut sauces like this are eaten across the region.Also popular in Mali, SenegalMore food from Guinea
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Stews & braises
Cooking method
Steamed, Stewed, Simmered
Taste
nutty, savoury, creamy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday
Cook more with
Chicken thigh · Peanut butter · Onion · Tomato paste · Tomato · Fresh red chilli
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Steaming · Stewing

Allergens

  • Contains: Peanutsfrom peanut butter

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

734 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 649 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 37%
  • Fat 39%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy734 kcal113 kcal
Protein45.6 g7 g
Carbohydrate67.9 g10.5 g
Net carbohydrate58.5 g9 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.4 g1.5 g
Fat31.7 g4.9 g
Saturated fat5.8 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol141 mg22 mg
Sodium1040 mg160 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
946 mg
Calcium
76 mg
Iron
4.5 mg
Magnesium
189 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
43 µg
Vitamin C
14 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
111 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Fonio: Raw millet (FDC 169702) used as a stand-in; fonio is a small West African millet-like grain with similar energy and carbohydrate content.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Rinse fonio in a bowl, swirling and letting the grit settle, then pour off the grains — repeat until no sand remains.

Common mistakes

  • Adding too much water to fonio — it turns porridgy; it should be light and separate.

Serve with

  • Add a squeeze of lime and a few slices of fresh chilli.

Storage

  • Refrigerate sauce up to 3 days; fonio up to 2 days.

Reheating

  • Steam fonio briefly; reheat sauce with a splash of water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 3

Reviews & corrections

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