Chef Pierre Thiam wants to put fonio on the dinner table, one recipe at a time.
Summer in Senegal , forPierre Thiam , meant spending time with family — and fonio . “ I would only have fonio when I would go to the S of Senegal where my grandparents lived , and I would go there every summer vacation . I always roll in the hay it , ” says the cookery book author and New York City - based chef - restaurateur . Fonio , the delicate grain of Thiam ’s youth , was the foundation of the chef ’s upbringing . Now , he wants fonio to go world .
“ World domination , ” Thiam jest . “ To me , it was a food grain that involve to become world class . The fact that it was this ancient texture that has been cultivated for over 5,000 years , it ’s believed to be the oldest cultivate grain in Africa . In summation to that , fonio is a grain that regenerate the soil , because it has deep roots that bestow food . ”
Once an aspiring chemist , Thiam left West Africa for the United States and landed in New York City in 1989 . He meant to attend school in Ohio but instead got stuck in NY — robbed three days after he come , he did n’t have enough money to provide — work as a busboy at a restaurant in the West Village .
Fonio Veggie Sliders|Photo courtesy of Yolélé
As often the news report goes , he conk out from bussing tables to washing dish to help the chef drill his French in which Thiam was fluent ( because imperialism ) to eventually running a kitchen of his own . salad dressing ? sauce ? “ Hey , this is chemistry ! ” laughs Thiam .
After years in Gallic and Italian kitchen , Thiam opened his first eating house , Yoléléin Brooklyn , in the early aughts as an ode to the cuisine of his etymon . Now unopen , Yolélé populate onas the company Thiam co - establish in 2017 with Philip Teverow , who ’s help put Thiam’sfavoritegluten - free West African grain on grocery shelves . Not down to cook ? you may experience fonio at Thiam’sTerangain Harlem or Midtown .
Thiam ’s alsoopened restaurantsin his hometown of Dekar , Senegal , and in Nigeria , and he ’s authored two cookbooks , SenegalandThe Fonio Cookbook .
For the unfamiliar , fonio is light and fluffy with a slightly loony - gross smack . Think of it as couscous or quinoa : a small caryopsis that pile a Brobdingnagian nutritious punch .
Ultimately , Thiam want fonio to be the next quinoa — but in the way that its becoming a global commodity benefits African farmers . “ We wanted to make certain the small Farmer in Africa would be the ultimate beneficiary . ” So , he built the supply strand from the flat coat up — even improving efficiency of the specific millery machinery to process the superfine grain . ( you could see it online onYolélé ’s websiteor at Whole Foods , Target , and Amazon . )
preparation fonio — a crack round-eyed , five - minute task — renders so much versatility . In salad , in salsas , as a crust … in a vegetable yellow-bellied terrapin . Thiam articulate there ’s little you ca n’t do with fonio . The Berber people have a locution , explains Thiam , “ They say , ‘ Fonio is a grain that never embarrasses the cook . ’ ”
Chef Pierre Thiam|Photo by Sara Costa
If you could mold patties , you could make this veg slider . Even if you have n’t had or worked with fonio before , it ’s a peachy starter formula . It soaks up sauce and flavors well , so it makes a great , spicery - compact binder for these vegetarian burgers .
Fonio Veggie Sliders
Yield : Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients:• ½ cup Maya Kaimal Organic Everyday Dal : Black Lentil , Tomato , Cumin• 1½ cup cookedYolélé fonio• 1 loving cup prepare , mashed sweet potato ( homemade or canned)• 2½ tablespoons flaxseed meal• Salt and pepper• Vegetable / canola oil oil for frying• Burger buns or lettuce wraps and any toppings you care : sliced onion plant , tomato , hole , sprouts , cheese , avocado tree , mayo , etc .
mention : you may use this prepared dal as a nice food for thought literary hack or misrepresent your own black Lens culinaris and season ( Cuminum cyminum , ginger , garlic , coriander seed , paprika , sea salinity , cinnamon , cardamum , cayenne , bleak pepper , tomato spread ) to taste .
Directions:1 . In a large bowl sum dal , fake fonio , flaxseed meal , manipulate sweet white potato and Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and capsicum pepper plant . Mix until well combine , compensate and countenance rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.2 . manakin six patties , about 2 - 3 inches wide in the palm of your hand and set on a plate.3 . In a magnanimous pan , heating system oil on med - high and prepare cake until golden brown , 3 - 5 bit on each side . Compose burgers however you like and dish !
