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Course Salad
Cuisine West African
Keyword fonio, moringa
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Fonio Salad

  • 1 large bunch of moringa
  • 1/2 cup of fonio
  • 5/8 cup of water (150ml)
  • 1 small onion finely sliced
  • 1 tomato finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch of parsley roughly chopped
  • 1 cup cooked brown lentils or any beans of choice
  • 3-4 tablespoons yaaji/suya powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing Choice 1: Peanut Dressing (optional)

  • 3 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1-2 teaspoons of liquid sweetener honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoons lemon juice
  • a pinch of salt

Dressing Choice 2: Good Quality Oil (optional)

  • 1-2 tablespoons groundnut oil or olive oil

Instructions

Prep The Moringa

  • Remove the moringa leaves (instructions details listed in the blog)
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil
  • Wash the moringa leaves
  • Add the moringa leaves to the hot water, boil for about 5 minutes until fully wilted. Remove the moringa from the pot and add to a large bowl with cold water
  • Squeeze out all the excess water

Boil the Fonio

  • In a small pot, bring the water (5/8 cups/150ml) to a boil with a pinch of salt.
  • Once boiling, add the fonio, stir well, cover the pot and cook at low heat for five minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the pot covered for another 5 minutes.
  • After the five minutes have passed, fluff the fonio.

Combine the salad ingredients

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the fonio, moringa, onion, tomato, parsley, lentils and yaaji powder. Mix well. Taste and adjust salt
  • If you are not using the peanut based dressing, you can add groundnut oil or olive oil and be done

Make the Salad Dressing

  • If you are making the peanut based dressing, start by mixing the peanut butter with warm water (1 tablespoon at a time) to get loosened yet creamy consistency. You might need more or less water.
  • Then add the rest of the dressing ingredients. Taste the dressing and make adjustments based on personal preference.
  • Enjoy the salad on its own or with a side of protein.