Monday, January 21, 2013

Somali Plantain Stew (Maraq Moos Bukiini)

I made a second try at African food recipes after an epic fail with Ethiopian a few months back. All of the ingredients are readily available, which helps. The spice mix wasn't over-powering and it complemented the beef well, which was tender after cooking for an hour. We used plain Basmati rice and pan fried some plantains to round out the dish. Seeing as this one went so well, I'll likely try a few more Somali recipes in the future.




Prep. Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 1 hr.
Servings: 6-8


Ingredients:

 Xawaah Spice
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Coriander
3/4 tsp Black Pepper
3/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cardamom
1/4 tsp Cinammon
1/8 tsp Cloves

Plantain Stew
1/2 cup canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large plantain cut into 2 inch thick pieces
1 green pepper, diced
1 Tbsp tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp xawaah spice
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 + 1/2 lb beef shoulder

Fried Plantains 
3 plantains cut into 1/2" thick pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xawaah spice
1/4 cup canola oil


Directions:

Plantain Stew
Fry the onions and garlic on medium heat for 5 mins.

Add the xawaah spice, turmeric, black pepper, salt and beef, then cook for 5 mins.

Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, tomato paste and jalapeno, cover and simmer for 30 mins.

Add the sliced plantain and green pepper, then simmer for an additional 30 mins.

Add chopped coriander and serve with rice.

Fried Plantains
While the stew is simmering, in a medium mixing bowl, coat the sliced plantains with salt and xawaah

Using medium heat, fry the plantains for approximately 90 seconds on each side (until dark brown, but not burned).

Removed and drain on paper towels.