Bocor Katiitoow



Bocor katiitow is used  during the month of Ramadan when breaking fast. This dish is very popular in the Southern Somalia (Banadir and the Shabelle Regions)  Bocor Katiitow should be served cold.

3 medium size long green squash

1 ½ cups sugar 

Salt to taste

1 stick unsalted butter

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

1 cinnamon stick

Peel the squash and cut into 4 pieces.  Clean and remove the seeds, and cut into ½ -inch cubes or spaghetti strips.  Wash and put them in a heavy saucepan with the sugar, salt (if desired) cinnamon stick, cardamom and the butter, and cook on a medium to high heat for about 20-30 minutes. Do not cover.  If more than one cup of liquid remains in the pan, continue to cook on a high heat until the extra liquid evaporates.



Satisfy your sweet tooth

Cadriyad

This dessert is best served with rice. This dish is very popular in the Northern Somalia (Somaliland) and is served during special occasions such as weddings.

½ stick unsalted butter

1 lb of angle hair pasta

2 cups hot water

1 cup sugar

1 – 2 cinnamon sticks

½ teaspoon cardamom powder

½ cup golden raisins

¼ cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)

Salt to taste

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and melt the butter and sauté  the angle hair pasta until the pasta becomes light golden in color.  Add the hot water, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom and cook until all the water is absorbed or evaporates. Add the raisins and almonds (if desired); remove from the heat.

Canbuulo iyo Bun

As explained in the Introduction, the anbuulo in the Somali Cuisine cookbook is one of those dishes in which the main ingredient is substituted for the indigenous one.  The original main ingredient is made from corn or sorghum that undergoes much processing.  The closest substitute is white hominy; fortunately hominy is as good as the original ingredient.

Canbuulo

1 cup of white hominy (dry, not canned)

½ cup of dry red chori beans or small red beans

7 cups of water

Salt to taste      

Wash and clean the white hominy very well. Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a heavy pan. Add the clean white hominy and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes. Drain all the water and wash the white hominy again, rubbing the white hominy between the palms of your hands to remove the starch.

Wash the kidney beans and mix them with the white hominy. Bring the remaining 3 cups of water to boil and add it to the mixture.  Cook on a medium heat for about 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, if the canbuulo is not tender, add a little more water and cook until it is tender.

Bun

Bun is made of fried whole coffee beans and it is often used for spiritual purposes. In some Somali regions, Bun is often prepared on Wednesdays and Fridays, as it is believed that angels descend on those days.  Bun is not a dish on its own and should be served with canbuulo or the canbuulo-family such as barley, beans or with popcorn.

1 cup clarified butter, olive oil or vegetable oil

1 handful of whole coffee beans

Wash the whole coffee beans very well. Using the tip of a fork or a knife, puncture little holes in the whole coffee bean (this prevents the beans from popping when frying).

Heat the butter or the oil in a heavy saucepan on a medium heat. Dry the whole coffee beans and add into the hot oil. Let them fry for 3-4 minutes, and then take out from the heat and transfer to another bowl (when frying, be careful with the hot oil and make sure you do not introduce water into the saucepan).

Best served with olive oil and honey (or sugar).

Baby Shower

ST & T catered this baby shower, the watermelon baby carriage was a hit. 

Wedding Shower

 I catered this dish at a wedding shower a month ago.  Let ST&T cater your next wedding shower.

Dinner party ideas

 

Dinner party ideas

I catered this dish at a thanksgiving dinner for 20 people from a Francophonic country.  This is how my catering started:

Appetizer: 

Sambuusi filled with ground beef and vegetables served with hot sauce. Pieces of pita bread served with Humous.

Mixed olives

Dinner :

Crown lamb with vegetable and rice cooked with lamb sauce

Dessert:

Brie baked with cranberry and walnut.

At the end:  

Somali tea with whole milk [some people preferred their tea black with lemon].

The dinner was fantastic and it was the highlight of the year ;

 If you need recipes please let me know and I will provide them.

Thanks and enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Join with me at the holiday bazaar on Sunday

Soor Furfur

Soor Furfur

(Coarsely ground yellow cornmeal cooked with meat)

4 tablespoons of cooking oil (olive or vegetable oil)

1 large onion, chopped into small pieces

2-3 lbs lamb shoulder meat, cut into medium pieces

4 cloves of garlic, chopped very fine

5-6 large fresh roman tomatoes cut into small pieces

½ teaspoon of cumin powder

½ teaspoon of coriander powder

¼ teaspoon cardamom powder

Salt to taste (for both the meat and cornmeal)

7 cups of water

1 medium size green pepper, chopped into small pieces

1 eggplant, diced into medium pieces
2 cups of coarsely ground yellow cornmeal 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic and lamb pieces; stir until it starts to sizzle, then add the tomatoes.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed/evaporated.  Add the cumin, coriander, cardamom and salt; stir for 1 minute then add the water and simmer until the meat is half-cooked.  Add the green pepper and eggplant. Bring the content to boil and add the cornmeal slowly, little by little and whisk in the sauce.  Make sure that there are no lumps. Constantly stir until the cornmeal is incorporated in to the meat sauce, add the fresh cilantro.  Cover and put in an oven preheated to 350 degree Fahrenheit for about 30-40 minutes.

Buugga Cunto Karinta 2

Part Two of the same interview!

Buugga Cunto Karinta 1

When my book was first published, this was my first interview with Somali TV in Minnesota. I was pleasantly surprised when the anchor shared it with me this past week on Facebook! Enjoy!

Shaah Somali (Somali Chai)

Shaah Somaali (Somali Chai)

Tea is a favorite Somali past time. It is an affordable beverage enjoyed by everyone these days.  Traditionally, young unmarried girls were not allowed to drink tea in the pastoral nomadic society.  But now days no one can be denied this pleasure. Somali  Shah is the most offered beverage to guests and visitors in every household.  They are very important for young men socializing in the afternoons at the tea shops.

Ingredients: 

4 cups water

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon grounded spices:

 (4 cardamom, ½ stick cinnamon, 3 cloves,  pinch of ginger and pinch of nutmeg)

½ teaspoon good loose tea

In a kettle or a pot add water, sugar, tea and spices and boil in a medium heat all together. Take the pot or kettle away from the heat and let it set for about 3 minutes.  Serve it while hot.

Some people like their tea with milk, you can put the milk while the tea is on the heat and let boil together or you can add the milk into the tea cup when serving.   (for best taste use cream or whole milk)  

Somali Tea & Treats at the Metropoliton Cooking Show

Cooking Class

My friend and fellow chef, Sunny, invited me to teach a Thai cooking class at the Lebanese Taverna and it was a fantastic time!

This was the wonderful class:

.

I was in charge of the dessert [Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango]:

There are plenty more pictures that you can find on my facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=116590851695977#!/album.php?aid=2062555&id=1006016911&ref=mf

Bon Apetit!

Muufo Baraawe and Maraq Bilaash (Somali Bread)

Muufo Baraawe (Somali Bread)


2 cups of white semolina or farina flour

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon Sugar (optional)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon active dry yeast

1 cup of luckwarm water

Salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients (except water) together and mix them well in a bowl. Add the water and knead make to a dough. Cover the bowl tightly, put it in a warm place (such as the kitchen) for at least 6 hours until the dough doubles in volume; then work the dough gently with your hands. Cover and let it rise again. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When the dough has risen second time, pick about half a handful with wet fingers and drop them on an oiled baking pan, spacing them 2 - 3 inches apart. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and put it in the lower rack of the oven for about 15 minutes or until the bottom side of the muufo is golden in color. When done, the top of the muufo will stay white. If you want the top side to be golden, flip the muffo over and bake for 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve with any kind of sauce. Yummy with maraq bilaash!


Maraq Bilaash (Cherry Tomato Sauce)


Maraq Bilaash is very popular in Southern Somalia. Somali women in charge of the household would go everyday to the market to get fresh vegetables, fruits and meat. When they returned, the women would get together around an informal potluck, each bringing a dish. Mara Bilaash is one of the popular dishes the chefs of the house will feast on before embarking on the task of performing their daily chores, including cooking for the entire family.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium size onion, chopped

4 cups cherry tomatoes, whole

1 jalapeno, cut into medium sizes

3-4 small okra, cut or whole

Salt to taste

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

5 basil leaves

Heat the oil; add the onions and sauté. Add the cherry tomatoes (whole), jalapeno and okra, and cook over medium heat. When the tomatoes begin to wrinkle, stir delicately and cook 10-20 minutes more. When the tomato skins start to crack, add the salt, garlic and lemon juice, then mash the contents with a wooden spoon. Add the basil leaves and cover for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with bread, muufo, anjeero, crackers or bagels

Lug Ido (Lamb Leg)

Usually I get meat from an ethnic butcher shop or the meat department at supermarkets and explain the way I want my meat to be cut. Most butchers are very helpful, know what to do, and cut the meat the way you request it. In Somali cooking, this type of meat is cooked in a charcoal oven or baked in a big pot on a traditional Burjiko (charcoal burning cookstove). When baking on the traditional Burjiko, burning charcoals are also placed on the lid of the pot so the lamb gets baked evenly. This is a special occasion dish and you can serve it with rice

1 leg of lamb with bone (3 to 4 lbs)

5 cloves of garlic

4 teaspoons of fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon of black pepper

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit.

Grind all the spices together and rub them all over the lamb. Place the lamb in a roasting pan and place it on the lower rack of the oven. Cover the pan so it is airtight. The meat will take about 1.5 to 2 hours to become tender, but if you are one of those people who love very tender meat, then you should keep it in the oven for at least 2 hours. Remove from oven when done to desired tenderness. Garnish with cooked potatoes, carrots and uncooked green peppers. Serve hot with rice or your favorite dish.

First of it's kind

Marhaba!


In 1994, I embarked on the journey that would manifest itself into my book "Somali Cuisine". It was a labor of love [most things are when you are a wife, have four kids, a job, volunteering, and a garden]. I wanted to share the special Somali flavors with the world in an easy manner. My mother, who my book is dedicated to, cooks without measuring and I, like many people, need the structure of cups, tablespoons, and liters. Her help was priceless, but nonetheless, it was a hard task because what I was creating was the first of its kind.

After the book was published, to my surprise, websites and blogs started popping up with some of my recipes! To be frank, after the years of work on the book, I was saddened that the recipes were reposted without acknowledgement. Soon, I realized that imitation is the highest form of flattery. My goal of bringing the recipes of Somalia to a larger audience is continuing to be realized through these other websites and this blog!

Here is one of these which has chosen to honor my book "Somali Cuisine" and the recipes in it by reposting:
http://tammyssomalihome.blogspot.com/

Buon Apetito!

Sambuusi

Filling:

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 small onion finely chopped

1 lb of ground beef (lean)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ teaspoon of ground black pepper

Salt to taste

1 jalapeno chopped (optional)

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 cup of spring onion finely chopped

½ cup of cilantro finely chopped

Heat oil in heavy skillet, add the small chopped onion and sauté; add the ground beef and continue to sauté. Add cumin, coriander, garlic, black pepper, salt and jalapeno. Cook until it is done, it should be dry when it is done. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Add the chopped medium onion, spring onion and the cilantro and stir. Put aside until the Sambuusi dough is ready.

For the dough:

2 ½ cups of all purpose flour

Salt to taste

¼ cup of unsalted melted butter

1 cup of water

Extra flour as needed for rolling

¼ cup vegetable oil for brushing

Vegetable oil for frying


NOTE: If you do not want to make the dough from the scratch, you can use egg roll wrappers from the grocery.

Dough:

Combine the flour and the salt in a medium-sized bowl, make a well in the center; add the butter and rub the mixture between the palms of your hands. Add the water and continue kneading until the dough comes together and becomes smooth. Cover the dough and put aside for about 20-30 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 round pieces, roll each piece into a 3-inch diameter circle, and brush a ¼-teaspoon of oil on the top surface of each piece. Make two stacks with four pieces in each stack. Then roll each stack into a thin circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter. Heat a skillet over low heat, place the stacked dough in the skillet, and heat each stack separately until dry. Remove the stack from the skillet and cut it in half with a sharp knife. Cut the other stack similarly. Now you have 16 semi-circle pieces of Sambuusi dough in four stacks; separate them and using each piece, form a cone, overlapping the seams. Brush with water to glue the seams together. Fill the cone with 1 ½ teaspoon of the filling and press the edges together to seal tightly; make sure there are no voids or openings around the edges. Place each completed piece on a baking sheet.

Preheat the oil in a large pot or a deep-frying pan over medium heat. Add the Sambuusi in batches and fry until golden-brown, turning each Sambuusi frequently until they are golden and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the Sambuusi and drain the oil. Place the Sambuusi on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil and serve while hot.

Enjoy!