Foutti Fogne - Main course

Foutti Fogne
Preparation time : 30 min
Cooking time : 30 min
Location : Fouta Djallon
Vegetarian : No
Difficulty : Medium
With : Fonio
Cost : Inexpensive
Cooking method : Hobs / Fire

This dish is originally from du Fouta, it’s usually consume in the evenings. There is saying that futti is the meal of the poor as it contains neither fish nor meat. Nowadays, it’s eaten by prosperous families as it is delicious and healthy.

Ingredients (For 6 people)

  • 500 gr of fonio

  • 1 litre of water

  • 1 glass of palm oil « cow butter or Gii » or liquid butter

  • 50 gr Soumbara

  • 1 lime

  • 20 g fresh okra

  • 1 - 2 fresh chilli (or chilli powder)

  • 3 diakato

  • Salt

Preparation

  • Wash and remove stems of okra and wild aubergines (diakato).
    In a pot cook the okras, diakatos and chilli peppers in one litre of water. Once cook remove and set aside…

  • Once the in fonio is washed and roasted, pour it in the okra’s water.

  • Remove about 200-300 ml of water. Keep a side. After 2 minutes the fonio will absorbs all the water, reduce the heat.

    • Using the handle of the wooden spoon (this prevent it to be sticky or pasty?), stir gently and check whether is done by crushing few grains between your fingers. If it’s not well done i.e. the grain is hard; gradually add the rest of the cooking water and cover.

    • The fonio is ready after 15 minutes max.

    • Mix the okras in a blender or beat with wooden spoon in a gourd and add ¾ of the okra in the fonio and mix well.

    • Add palm oil (or butter) and serve in a dish.

    • In the blender, mash the chilli, diakatos with soumbara and lime juice.

    • Serve the hot dish with fresh bonnet chilli pepper and the diakato-okra-chilli-lime puree.

      Tips and Tricks

      To prevent the fonio to becomes pasty, it’s important not to cook with plenty of water at one time (hence the step of removing the water above) even better if you add the water gradually.