Pierre Thiam has cooked for the King of Morocco, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The chef, author, and social activist is best known for bringing West African cuisine to the global fine dining world—and we're honored to include Thiam as part of our Chef in Residence series. We've paired with incredible global chefs and culinary artists to create limited-time meals that celebrate their unique perspectives while upholding Sakara's rigorous nutrition standards. Because creativity, joy, and health can all be interwoven in the conversation around food.
If you missed his vibrant Ethereal Fonio Bowl, inspired by a traditional Senegalese recipe called “Mbahal” on menus, Thiam's opening up his personal recipe repertoire for us once again. This time, he's sharing a Mango Fonio salad. Cucumber slices—made of 95% water—intermingle with mango, multicolored cherry tomatoes, and an herbaceous shower of Italian parsley and mint; then, the satiating twist comes from fonio. Packed with amino acids and B vitamins, this West African gluten-free grain solidifies this as a dish you'll want to make in the late-summer heat before fall beckons.
Ingredients:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 cups cooked fonio
- 1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves finely chopped
- 1 bunch mint, leaves finely chopped
- 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small cucumber, seeded and diced
- Optional: 1/2 cup spiced cashews
Directions:
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice with the salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the oil, whisking to emulsify.
- Place the fonio in a large bowl and add the parsley, mint, mango, onion, tomatoes, and cucumber. Toss well and generously fold in the lemon dressing to taste. (You may have some dressing left over). Top with the spiced cashews (if using) and serve immediately.
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