A specialty of Ivorian (Côte d’Ivoire) cuisine, Sokossoko is generally made with tender beef, onions and tomatoes, all served with white rice. As tasty as it is simple and quick to make, it is not uncommon to see it mixed with kidneys and accompanied by attiéké.
Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 15/Serves: 4-6 (+30 minutes chilling)
Ingredients:
900g of beef steak, cubed
2 onions
2 firm, ripe, tomatoes, diced
300g of passata (tomato )
3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
2 habanero chillies
1 tbsp of chicken bouillon granules
4-5 tbsp of oil
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
For the rice:
125g (1 cup) of rice
375ml (1 1/2 cups) boiling water
1 garlic clove
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Place the beef in a bowl, add the bouillon granules, 2 cloves pressed garlic, salt and black pepper. Drizzle over 4 tbsp oil them mix well to combine. Cover and set aside to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Toast the rice in a large pot over medium heat. Add a whole garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Now pour in the boiling water. Mix to combine, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes (do not open the lid during cooking so the rice steams). At the end of cooking, turn off the heat and let the rice steam for 5 minutes. Now remove the garlic clove, fluff the rice with a fork and set aside.
Place a pot over high heat, add the oil and heat until lightly smoking. Add the meat and sear until browned on all sides. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside, then deglaze the pan with cold water. Add the chopped onions and let them sweat down for 3 minutes, until tender. Return the meat to the pot and continue cooking for a few minutes.
Now add in the diced tomatoes and passata along with the whole chillies. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.
Serve hot with the steamed rice.
