African Recipes

NYT Cooking

Sep 25, 2022

Spicy Peanut and Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is a promise of warmth on those cool autumn nights. Habanero chiles and peanuts both feature heavily in Nigerian cuisine, and this soup is an adaptation of a long-simmered stew common to much of West Africa. Don’t be afraid of a chile with seeds: The fragrant oils from these peppers are worth every bite. The peanut butter and coconut milk mellow the warmth of the chile to a gentle, lingering heat, but you can also take the chile out before the soup is puréed. An optional spoon of honey to the soup will round out the flavors, and a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt will further temper the heat. Serve with a baguette or sourdough bread for dipping.

Serious Eats

Sep 22, 2022

Nigerian Jollof Rice

Seasoned with Caribbean-style curry powder, dried thyme, bay leaf, ginger, and garlic, jollof rice is enjoyed as a main dish. It is often paired with beef, chicken, goat, and fish, or eggs.

Serious Eats

Sep 21, 2022

Nigerian Fried Rice

Vegetable-studded fried rice seasoned with Nigerian-style curry powder, dried thyme, and bay leaves.

Serious Eats

Aug 31, 2022

Curry-Flavored Nigerian Stock

This flavorful broth is an essential ingredient for many Nigerian dishes, including jollof rice, fried rice, stew, chicken curry, and more.

Serious Eats

Aug 23, 2022

Nigerian Chin Chin

A sweet, crunchy fried Nigerian snack flavored with nutmeg, vanilla, and citrus zest.

Serious Eats

Aug 9, 2022

Nigerian Meat Pie

A hand pie of minced beef, onions, carrots, potatoes in a curry-spiced sauce makes the perfect at-home snack.

Serious Eats

Apr 18, 2022

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.

NYT Cooking

Nov 16, 2016

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.

Food52

Jul 3, 2016

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.

NYT Cooking

Jan 4, 2016

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.

Food52

Jun 16, 2014

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.

NYT Cooking

Aug 31, 2011

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.

NYT Cooking

Aug 18, 2011

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.

Food52

Jul 14, 2011

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.

NYT Cooking

Jun 17, 2009

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.

NYT Cooking

Apr 20, 2005

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.

NYT Cooking

Mar 14, 1990

Groundnut Stew

NYT Cooking

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.

NYT Cooking

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.

NYT Cooking

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.

NYT Cooking

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.

NYT Cooking

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

NYT Cooking

Merguez and Lamb Couscous

NYT Cooking

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.