Tag: Somali Food

Roasted Chicken Drumsticks (Lugo Digaag La-foorneeyay) Cuisses de Poulet Rôties دجاج محمر بالفرن

Roasted Chicken Drumsticks (Lugo Digaag La-foorneeyay) Cuisses de Poulet Rôties دجاج محمر بالفرن

  When we roasted these chicken drumsticks, we took them to a gathering at a friend’s house. One of her guests tried them and she said to us, “I have never had chicken this good in my WHOLE LIFE! I am a chef and I [Click for Full Recipe]

Creme Caramel (Doolshe Banaaddir) Crème Caramel كريم كراميل

Creme Caramel (Doolshe Banaaddir) Crème Caramel كريم كراميل

  In Somalia, creme caramel was not a dessert that was made on a regular basis. It was usually made when guests were invited. We believe it was due to the fact that eggs were not easy to come by.  Most of the good restaurants [Click for Full Recipe]

Pizza 4 Ways (Biitso 4 Nooc) Pizza 4 Façons البيتزا – 4 انواع

Pizza 4 Ways (Biitso 4 Nooc) Pizza 4 Façons البيتزا – 4 انواع

  In a previous post, we told you the story of Hooyo Fadumo’s beginnings with cooking and her fish debacle. Wanting to learn, she sought out anyone who could teach her: family, friends, and even total strangers. She tells the story of how she approached [Click for Full Recipe]

Mashmash (Mashmash – Bishbishi) Mashmash مشمش

Mashmash (Mashmash – Bishbishi) Mashmash مشمش

Mashmash (rhymes with hush-hush) is a classic Somali snack that is usually paired with samosas. It is on the greasy side but in Somalia, greasy was not always associated with bad. There was a time when oily meant nutritious. We remember seeing construction workers in [Click for Full Recipe]

Vegetable Soup (Barooddo Qudaar) Soupe de Légumes شربة خضار

Vegetable Soup (Barooddo Qudaar) Soupe de Légumes شربة خضار

  We learned how to make this soup from Hooyo¹ Fadumo Abdulle (Abdullahi’s mother). Hooyo Fadumo is an amazing cook but her story with cooking did not have the greatest start. Actually, it began with an embarrassing experience. Even though born and raised in Mogadishu, [Click for Full Recipe]

Somali Malawah (Malawax) Malawah الملوًّح الصومالي

Somali Malawah (Malawax) Malawah الملوًّح الصومالي

  What is round, goes around, comes around. To us, that sums the story of the Somali Malawah (Malawax). We wish to think that the crepe originated in the Horn of Africa. The Horn is the home of the Ethiopian Injera, the Eritrean Injera, Somali [Click for Full Recipe]

Jerky-Style Beef Cubes (Oodkac/Muqmad) Cubes de Boeuf Façon Viande Séchée لحم بقري مجفف

Jerky-Style Beef Cubes (Oodkac/Muqmad) Cubes de Boeuf Façon Viande Séchée لحم بقري مجفف

  Oodkac or Muqmad is what Somalis prepare whenever they want to preserve meat. During times of plenty, that is the rainy days, the nomads save for a dry day. Rainy days bring abundance (barwaaqo), when the milk from the herd is flowing and meat [Click for Full Recipe]

Kalkals (Shushumoow – Zinanaande) Kalkal كلكل

Kalkals (Shushumoow – Zinanaande) Kalkal كلكل

  There are sweets that you eat because they taste good; then there are those that go a step further by bringing back memories of your childhood, a way of life long gone, of places fondly missed. That is what shushumoow (kalkals) does for us. [Click for Full Recipe]

Oat & Meat Soup (Shurbad) Soupe à l’Avoine et à la Viande شوربة الشوفان باللحم

Oat & Meat Soup (Shurbad) Soupe à l’Avoine et à la Viande شوربة الشوفان باللحم

  There are foods we associate with certain occasions, and this soup is one such dish. Shurbad is synonymous with Ramadan (the month of fasting for Muslims). For breaking the fast, you need a highly nutritious dish that will catapult you from the world of the [Click for Full Recipe]

Beef Samosas (Sambuus) سمبوسه

Beef Samosas (Sambuus) سمبوسه

In the early seventies, an informal survey was conducted in some of Mogadishu’s teashops. The question was: “According to you, what is the most enjoyable thing in the world?” The top answer was: “To sit outside a teashop where the sand has been sprayed with [Click for Full Recipe]