This is a classic Senegalese recipe for a dish of rice served topped with meatballs in a red sauce.
Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 50 minutes/Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1kg of lamb meat, cubed
300g minced (ground) beef
2 carrots
2 onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 spring onion
1 habanero chilli, finely chopped
5 tbsp of tomato purée
200ml groundnut oil
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt, freshly-ground black pepper and ground ginger, to taste
1 Maggi cube
2 bay leaves
1 handful of cornille beans (optional, wash and soak for at least 5 hours)
1 teaspoon potato starch
1.2l of water
6 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
hot chilli powder, to taste
vinegar, to taste
800g fragrant long grain rice
Method:
Start with the meatballs: Mix the minced meat with salt, 1 clove of garlic, chilli powder, ground ginger, coriander leaves, half the rosemary leaves, 1/3 Maggi cube and the potato starch. Mix well with your hands then take pieces of the mixture and form balls 2 cm in diameter, oiling your hands the form them. As they’re shaped, place on an oiled plate. Once all the dumplings are finished, set aside until needed.
Salt the pieces of lamb and set aside.
Peel the carrots and onions, cut the carrots into 4cm batons, then cut again lengthwise into fine matchsticks. Cut 1 onion into pieces the same length as the carrots.
Mix together the onion, the remaining 3 cloves of garlic, the spring onion, salt, black pepper, remaining cube, habanero pepper, chilli powder, the remaining rosemary, then set aside.
Put a rice pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the groundnut oil and cook the meatballs until they are golden brown, set aside and put in the pieces of lamb meat. Let them brown, stir in 4 tablespoons of tomato puree, followed the beans. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, add 200ml water then leave for another 5 minutes. Pour in the mixed vegetable preparation (but reserve a little for the sauce) as well as the 1l of water. Add a whole Scotch bonnet pepper if you want along with a couple of bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and use to fry the onions and 1 spoon of tomato purée. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the carrots and the remainder of the vegetal mixture. Stir for 1 minute then pour in 100ml of water then. finally. add the meatballs. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and chilli powder then stir in 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes on low heat then take off the heat.
Wash the rice 3 times in a bowl of water, drain well, transfer to a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high heat for 4 minutes.
Back to our pot, check that the meat and the beans are tender then adjust the seasoning to your taste. If everything is to your liking, put the rice in the sauce (normally there is just the right amount of water). Stir thoroughly to combine ensuring that the rice is covered by the sauce (if not add in a little boiling water). Cover with a lid and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 5 minutes more. At this point check that the rice has absorbed all the sauce. If this is the case, turn the rice over, cover with a sheet of kitchen foil and then the lid. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes more, until the rice is tender.
As soon as your rice is ready, heat your sauce.
Turn the rice onto a serving dish, spoon over the meat sauce and serve.
