Each month I’m highlighting a different non-Ina cookbook – these can be old favorites, classics I need to try, or new books I’m excited about. I’ll make at least one recipe from each chapter of the book to get an overall flavor of each. For the month of April, the book is Hawa Hassan’s In Bibi’s Kitchen. I hope you’ll cook along with me! The book is available for purchase here.
Spiced Chicken and Onion Samosas
While berbere was the spice for Eritrea, xawaash (a mix of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, black peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, and turmeric) is the spice for Somalia. It’s the main flavoring in these phenomenal samosas packed with potato, yellow onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and chicken thighs. I was intimated to try these – making my own dough AND frying. But the dough came together very easily – I was surprised by how easy it was to work with and how smoothly it rolled out. Next time I’ll make the Somali Cilantro and Green Chile Pepper Sauce dip these in!
Book: In Bibi’s Kitchen, page 88
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Intermediate
Store-Bought Is Fine: Xawaash spice
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe on SplendidTable.com
Digaag Qumbe (Chicken Stew with Yogurt and Coconut)
Tender chicken thighs, potatoes, and carrots swim in a yogurt/coconut milk sauce infused with tomatoes, jalapeños, red bell pepper, onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, and xawaash spice mix. Served over rice or spinach (or in my case both) and eaten along with a banana, it’s a hearty, satisfying meal. The banana combo was new to me but its cool creaminess tempered the warm spiciness of the dish!
Book: In Bibi’s Kitchen, page 73
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: Xawaash spice
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe on NationalPost.com
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