In Bibi's Kitchen
By Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen
Somali beef stew
Not Too Tricky
serves 6
About the recipe
This stew is a wonderful way to stretch a little meat into a large, satisfying pot of food. The combination of Xawaash Spice Mix and tomato paste is particularly great, a match made in flavor heaven. Serve over plain rice with hot sauce and cilantro for topping, lime wedges for squeezing over, and bananas for eating alongside (this is very typical in Somalia—a bite of stew and rice followed by a bite of banana and so on).
Recipe From
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Xawaash Spice Mix (page 74 of In Bibi's Kitchen)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
2 cups water
2 pounds boneless beef chuck or other stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 baking potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large carrots, cut into thin coins
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
Cooked rice, hot sauce (such as Somali Cilantro and Green Chile
Pepper Sauce, page 80), cilantro leaves, lime wedges, and fresh
bananas, for serving
Top Tip
You can make the stew up to a week in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container (it gets even better the longer it sits) or freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2 months (defrost in the refrigerator for up to a day before serving). Gently rewarm the stew in a heavy pot set over low heat before serving.
Method
- Warm the oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot set over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the Xawaash, tomato paste, and salt and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the water and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, then stir in the beef and potatoes. Partially cover the pot (leave the lid slightly ajar so steam can escape) and simmer until the beef and potatoes are just cooked through, about 45 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots and bell pepper and cook, covered, until the beef and vegetables are all very tender, an additional 30 minutes.
- Season the stew to taste with salt and serve over rice with hot sauce and cilantro for topping, lime wedges for squeezing over, and bananas for eating alongside. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days and rewarmed in a heavy pot set over low heat (stir while you heat).
Reprinted with permission from In Bibi’s Kitchen by Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshen, copyright © 2020. Photographs by Khadija M. Farah & Jennifer May. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.
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