Measure out the ingredients for the steamed fonio and yassa sauce. Keep them separate in bowls. Gather all of the equipment on the list.

For the yassa: Have a grown-up help peel and cut 4 onions in half, then slice into thin strips. Peel and Food cut into small blocks or squares. Make sure they are all roughly the same size!dice the 5^th onion. Thinly slice the mushroom or chicken if using. Juice the limes into a small bowl. If the seasoning cube is hard, soak in hot water.

For the fonio: Rinse the fonio by pouring it into a bowl of water. Use clean hands to mix the fonio with the water, Be careful when pouring off the water not to lose too much fonio! It’s a very small grain. If using a strainer, make sure it is fine enough.

Put a deep pan over high heat. Add ¹⁄₄ cup of cooking oil with the diced onion and allow to cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, or chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir the onion and mushroom until it starts to brown. Remove from the pan into a plate or bowl. Set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 cup of cooking oil. Turn the heat to medium and add the sliced onion, bay leaves, garam masala, seasoning cube, and lime juice. Season with salt. Stir everything together, cover, and allow it to cook for 5 – 8 minutes until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add 2 cups of water with the sautéed mushroom or chicken, cover, and cook for another 11- 12 minutes, checking from time to time. Once the onions have cooked down, take off the heat. Taste for seasoning. Serve with steamed fonio.

While the yassa sauce is cooking, steam the fonio. To a medium pot, add water, salt, and oil. Place over high heat. Once water has boiled, stir in the fonio and cover. Reduce heat to low. Allow to steam for 2 – 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit until ready to eat.

To make the Steamed Fonio with Yassa Sauce a full meal, Chef Maryam would typically serve it, with steamed collards, spinach or kale. Very simple – cooked quickly in a pan with salt and pepper depending on the green.