African Recipes
92 recipes found
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Nigerian Meat Pie
A hand pie of minced beef, onions, carrots, potatoes in a curry-spiced sauce makes the perfect at-home snack.
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Dodo (Nigerian Plantains) Recipe
Dodo (no, not the bird) is the Nigerian name for sweet, fried ripe plantains eaten in or alongside savory dishes, not dessert.
Bariis (Somali-Style Rice)
Somali-style rice, when prepared for festive occasions, can be a satisfying meal on its own: The rice is cooked in a rich stock and often jeweled with pieces of meat and vegetables. This version of the dish comes from Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, twin sisters who make their own xawaash, an aromatic spice mixture that is layered with fenugreek and turmeric. The finished rice is also generously seasoned with saffron, as well as softened peppers and raisins. At Thanksgiving, the rice is a versatile side with roast turkey and vegetables, and the day after, it's a great base for leftovers. You could easily use a vegetable stock in place of a meat stock for a vegetarian version, and add more vegetables to the topping. The Mohallim sisters, on occasion, add blanched green beans to the mix.
Cassava Chips
This cassava chips recipe is an African staple food. It can be a substitute for potatoes. Deep fry the cassava until golden brown and top with chili powder.
Fragrant Chicken Soup with Chickpeas and Vegetables
This substantial soup is zippier than the usual matzo-ball-type golden chicken soup. It has a rich tomato base that is laced with fragrant spices – turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, ginger, nutmeg and cayenne – and it's loaded with hearty vegetables.
African Coffee
The bite of ginger meets the finest of African Coffee in this travel-inspired recipe. A simple way to revive leftover coffee or add some spice to fresh brew.
Grilled Peaches With Dukkah and Blueberries
Dukkah? It’s an Egyptian blend of nuts, seeds and spices, which you can either buy or make yourself. Combine it with a grilled ripe peach for a superlative summer experience, especially with freshly whipped cream and a scattering of blueberries. Simply dab the cut fruit with some olive oil and place on a hot grill until lightly toasted and soft. The result is reminiscent of peach pie without the crust, warm and yielding, with just a hint of char.
Cumin-Scented Summer Squash Salad
In the summer, squash of all kinds is in abundance. This recipe uses zucchini, or any other summer variety you have on hand or pick up at the farmers’ market. The squash in this North African salad is lightly steamed.
Prickly Pear Wine Coolers
This recipe makes a gourmet wine spritzer, sort of! Use prickly pear syrup, which is surprisingly easy to find at most liquor stores or gourmet shops.
West African Peanut Soup With Chicken
This West African soup is about as different from a traditional European chicken-in-a-pot soup as you can get, flavored with ginger, garlic and chiles (sounds Chinese, yes?), and incorporating vegetables like sweet potatoes and kale. Then of course there are the peanuts. When it comes to the peanut butter, “natural” peanut butter, made from peanuts and salt and nothing else, works best. Chunky or creamy? It doesn’t matter much. Finally, it’s nice to time the cooking so that the sweet potatoes do not quite fall apart.
Curried Roast Chicken, Durban Style
In Madhur Jaffrey's book "From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes From the Indian Spice Trail" (Clarkson Potter, 2003), which explores the dispersion of Indian food worldwide, there is a recipe from Durban, South Africa, for chicken roasted whole with a forcefully seasoned ginger and chili paste. The chicken is skinned before seasoning and cooking, not a demanding job but one that requires care. The fragrant heat of the chicken, which stayed moist thanks to its foil cocoon, even seemed to tease some spicy flavors from the Marcel Lapierre Morgon Beaujolais I poured with dinner. The fruitiness of the wine helped tame the heat.
Groundnut Stew
Baked Tofu With Peanut Sauce and Coconut-Lime Rice
A spicy, fragrant peanut sauce reminiscent of the groundnut stews that are popular across West Africa anchors this recipe. Any protein would be lucky to be doused and marinated in it, but tofu soaks up the peanut sauce’s flavors and chars up nicely upon roasting. The tofu’s neutral flavor allows the other flavors in the dish to break through. Red miso and fish sauce provide umami, honey lends a subtle sweetness and the lime zest in the coconut rice brightens it all. Finished with pickled peppers and fresh sliced scallions, this dish comes together to make an exciting but quick weeknight dinner.
Sheet-Pan Fish With Chard and Spicy Red-Pepper Relish
A relish of sweet red peppers, tomatoes, onions and habanero chile, serves as both a marinade and a dressing in this recipe. Its distinct taste is reminiscent of an essential Nigerian stew known in Yoruba as obè̩ ata and used as a base sauce for braising meats or leafy greens, simmering seafood and ladling over cooked starches. This recipe combines the piquant, fiery relish with a tender white fish and leafy greens for an easy sheet-pan meal. A high-temperature broil in the oven will leave you with a delicious char across the pan, and a cilantro-lime finish adds a layer of brightness to the generous variety of flavors. Make the relish up to a week ahead and marinate the fillets overnight if you can. Serve it with steamed rice, millet or fonio.
Tsaramaso Malagasy (White Bean Tomato Stew)
Jeanne Razanamaria, a cook from Madagascar, transforms three ingredients with some oil and salt into a rich dish that tastes like it has secret seasonings hidden in its depths. Her simple technique of collapsing tomatoes with sautéed red onion then simmering both with beans and their cooking liquid concentrates them into a tangy, earthy stew. She shared this recipe with Hawa Hassan for the book “In Bibi’s Kitchen,” written with Julia Turshen. It works with any dried white bean, large or small, and tastes great on its own or with steamed rice.
Lablabi (Tunisian Chickpea Soup)
There are myriad ways to cook lablabi, the classic, cumin and garlic scented chickpea soup from Tunisia. This version, adapted from Joe Yonan’s cookbook “Cool Beans” (Ten Speed Press, 2020), has crunchy, spice-sprinkled chickpeas garnishing the top, and a creamy, silky broth made from puréeing some of the chickpeas and stirring them back into the pot. It’s earthy and satisfying, with a chile kick from harissa and a bright tanginess from a squeeze of lemon at the end.
Couscous With Tomatoes, Okra and Chickpeas
Okra is popular in the North African cuisines of Tunisia and Algeria, where it is also dried. Because you don’t cut it up, the okra doesn’t become slimy. It contributes great flavor to the stew. Very high in dietary fiber, okra is a great source of vitamins A, C, B complex and the phytonutrients glutathione, xanthin, lutein and beta carotene, all believed to have antioxidant properties. For the best texture and flavor, look for the smallest pods you can find
Merguez and Lamb Couscous
Coconut-Lemongrass Tapioca With Caramelized Citrus
Bouncy tapioca pearls, made from cassava, a West African staple, are paired with a soothing coconut-lemongrass broth and caramel-coated citrus slices. The fruit can easily be substituted with whatever is in season, such as raw persimmons, poached pears or caramelized apples. The crushed pistachios are optional but add a welcome pop of crunch and color. Serve as a comforting dessert or a casual midday snack.
Roasted Mushrooms in Ata Din Din
Earthy mushrooms hold their own among a piquant red pepper relish — a riot of flavors. The relish’s base is known in Yoruba as ata din din, a condiment like sauce common throughout West Africa made from ground bell pepper, onions, chiles and sometimes tomatoes. Roast the mushrooms until lightly browned and crisp, as they absorb a lot more flavor when they've been slightly dehydrated. Pickled onion adds crunch and a hint of acid, and a scattering of fresh herbs gives it all a refreshing lightness, while being a pretty garnish. Serve over steamed rice and fried sweet plantains, or reserve as a vegetable filling for moin moin.
Chicken Yassa
Popular across West Africa, chicken yassa coaxes deep flavor from a handful of simple ingredients: smoky grilled chicken, sweet caramelized onions, tangy lime, bright ginger and spicy Scotch bonnet chile. This version comes from “The Fonio Cookbook” by chef Pierre Thiam (Lake Isle Press, 2019). Mr. Thiam, who was born and raised in Dakar, is the chef and owner of Teranga, a West African restaurant in Harlem. His recipe calls for bone-in chicken legs, but, in southern Senegal, where the dish originated, you might be served other chicken parts, fish yassa or even lamb yassa. The cooking method is flexible: The chicken develops the best smoky char when grilled, but will still be delicious seared in a grill pan or cast-iron skillet.
Sauce Moyo With Mango
A chunky blend of fresh tomatoes, red onions, chile and lime juice, sauce moyo can be found across West Africa, particularly in Benin, Togo and Senegal. It's great in hot and humid weather, though it brings a little heat and flavor of its own thanks to the addition of a Scotch bonnet or habanero chile. Fresh tomatoes are traditionally the source of its mild sweetness, but, here, mango is added for a fruity burst of flavor. Seasonal stone fruits, like peaches, apricots and nectarines, will work just as well.
Spicy Tunisian Carrot Frittata
Tunisian frittatas are sometimes baked in an earthenware dish in the oven, sometimes on top of the stove. This one, adapted from a recipe by Clifford Wright, is made like an Italian frittata, but the spices are unmistakably Tunisian.
Liberian Peanut Soup
This Liberian peanut soup, recipe courtesy of Helene Cooper, should satisfy peanut butter lovers, as well as anyone who wants a thick, rich, meaty dish.