Somali Recipe for Sauce with Beans

This is a super quick recipe. You can use any kind of beans you like. It goes great with bread or anjera.

Cook time: About 10-15 minutes
Serves: About 2

1 Can of Chick Peas/ Garbanzo Beans (15.5 oz)
1 Tomato
1/2 Onion
1 Teaspoon of Cumin Powder
1/4 Teaspoon of Chili Powder
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
1/4 Cup of Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons of Oil
1 Clove of Garlic- crushed
1 Tablespoon of Cilantro- crushed

Add oil to a pan and heat on medium-high

Add onion and fry until soft

Add tomato and cook until soft and reduced

Add remaining ingredients, beans with liquid, cumin powder, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, salt, and tomato sauce.

Stir and cover.

Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.

Stir. There should be some liquid left in the bean mix.

Serve.

Potato stuffed with Egg (Nafaqo)

This is one of the first Somali foods I ate. It was served to me during Iftar once and I loved it. I have seen a few ways to make these, some people use a the whole egg in each one, it really just depends on how you like it. Either way, it's tasty!

Also, the extra food coloring mixture can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I wanted to make this video the exact way I was showed. However, when I make this, I do not use the flour in to the potatoes. I don't like the texture of the potatoes. So, I just cook the potatoes, smash them then flatten them and stuff it with the egg.

Cook Time about 45 minutes
Makes 4


3 Potatoes
1 Egg
1 Chicken Cube
1 Cup of hot Water
1 Cup of All purpose Flour split in half
1/8 Teaspoon of Yellow food coloring (powder)
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
Oil for frying

Boil the potatoes and egg until fully cooked.



In a bowel, mix the hot water and chicken cube. Stir until fully dissolved.



Add the Flour and stir until smooth. Using a whisk will help make it smooth faster.



Add the food coloring and stir well.



Once the egg is fully cooked, remove the shell and cut it into 4 pieces.



Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the skins and mash. Slowly add the rest of the flour. The potatoes should be like a dough. You may not need the full 1/2 cup of flour, it depends on how big the potatoes are.



Once the potatoes are dough like, pinch some off and flatten.



Add one piece of egg in the middle and bring the potato around it to fully cover the egg.



Shape it into a circle or oval.



Heat a pan of oil on the stove.



Dip each potato ball into the food coloring mixture and coat well.



Drop it into hot oil and fry until crisp, about 1-2 minutes.



Serve.

Black Eye Pea Fritter (Bajiya)

This is a nice appetizer recipe. The longest part is getting the black eye peas ready, after that it goes very quickly.

Cook time about 30-35 minutes
Makes about 12 Bajiyas


1 Cup of Black eye Peas
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 Teaspoons of Cilantro
1/4 of a large Jalapeno Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon of Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon of Salt
Water may be needed
1 bowl of Ice Water




Boil water and add the peas to the water and boil for 10 minutes. Then scoop out and put into the ice water and move around for a few minutes, the skins should start to fall off. Take a handful and peel any remaining skins. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Another alternative is boiling for 10 minutes then removing the pan from the heat and letting the peas soak for 1 hour.




In a blender add all the ingredients and blend well. If the mixture is clumpy and too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time and blend until a smooth paste is formed.



Heat oil in a pan and roll the mixture in your hands to form a ball and slightly press down. Drop it into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. If the paste starts to stick to your hands, slightly oil your hands before rolling. Drain on a paper towel. Serve warm.