Tiebou Yap (Rice with lamb)

Tiebou Yap is very simply named for the 2 main ingredients: Tieb (rice in wolof) and Yap (Meat). It is a dish as fit for everyday dining as it is for special occasions. Many of my childhood food memories include this dish but one of the best incarnations I ever tasted was in boarding school. Shocking, I know! Boarding schools are not known for being centers of culinary excellence and mine wasn't 99% of the time. But once a year, we had a major pre-holiday celebration in early December that almost made up for the remaining days of below average fare. The school was and still is on the island of Goree (a UN World Heritage Site worth visiting) and on this occasion, the principal would bring in women from the island to cook this rice dish, the traditional way. They would set up huge iron pots outside the main kitchen and cook the rice for hours on a good old fire. The aroma would tease us for hours. The result always made us forget that the rest of the year, we lived on watery sauces and prison rice. It also convinced our parents that we were simply spoiled brats who complained about the everyday food for no reason!

Tiebou Yap
Serves 6

Ingredients- Rice Dish

• 1 kg of lamb (you can use beef as well), cut into large chunks, preferably with bone
• 1 to 2 pieces of yeet. Note: Yeet is the meat of a mollusk, fished, fermented and dried on the beaches all along the coast of Senegal. It is quite tough and requires a long cooking time which is why it is used in long simmering stews such as this one. It also has a strong and distinct smell and taste, which I adore but can be more of an acquired taste for some. It is not critical to this dish and therefore is optional.
• 250 ml (1 cup) of olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of ground chili
• 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 kg of long grain rice (I use jasmine rice)
• 1 can (~400g undrained) of mixed vegetables (you can use fresh vegetables and combine 200 g of finely diced carrots, corn and green beans)
  

Ingredients- Mustard Sauce

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 250 ml (1 cup) of water
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper and chili each
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar
  

Preparation- Rice Dish

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Make sure it is large enough to accommodate all the ingredients since this is a one-pot dish.
2. Add lamb and yeet and cook while stirring frequently until brown (~15mns).
3. In mixer, reduce onion, garlic, salt, chili and black pepper to a fine mixture.
4. Add to the pot and cook for about 10 mns.
5. Add 2 liters of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. This cooking time can be reduced if you use chicken or more tender meat and no yeet. Adjust accordingly. Note: Given the amount of time this dish takes, you can do all the steps up to now the day before and cool and refrigerate or freeze the stew to be completed the following day or later.
6. Rinse the rice TWICE to remove some of the starch.
7. Cover and steam in microwave for 4 mns on high power.
8. Add steamed rice and vegetables to the pot. Reduce heat and cook covered for 20 mns. Note: Before adding the rice, please taste the stew and adjust spices as desired (a bit of salt, a bit of pepper). Also very importantly, make sure there is not too much water for the amount of rice. This can be judged visually with experience but to be safe, I always remove and set aside about 2 cups of liquid (500 ml). After adding the rice and cooking for 5 mns, you can decide to add the liquid back little by little as needed. The goal is cooked rice, not porridge. If you have liquid left aside, you can reduce it by bringing it to a boil in a small pan and serving it as a side gravy with the rice.

Preparation- Mustard Sauce

1. Heat oil in a small pan
2. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and brown
3. Mix water and mustard and add to the pan
4. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 5 mns
5. Remove cover and cook for 10 mns until liquid is reduced to a gravy-like texture
6. Add salt, pepper, chili and vinegar and mix
7. Cook for 2 mns and remove from heat

Confi Kani (Hot Pepper Puree)

This pepper mixture gets its name from the shortened version of the french word for jam "confiture"and the wolof word for red pepper "kani". Pepper is a critical ingredient in most, if not all West African dishes. We luuuv hot food. I have learned, however, over the years that my friends from East and Southern Africa do not always share that passion for spicy dishes. This pepper jam is a great way to accomodate all my guests, by putting a tiny bit in the main meal and a lot on the side.

Confi Kani
Makes ~ 300g

Ingredients

• 300g of peppers (choose peppers based on how much heat you want in the final product)
• 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar
  
  

Preparation

1. Rinse the peppers and remove the little tails
   In the mixer, mix pepper, onion and garlic
2. Add salt and pepper
3. Heat oil in a saute pan
4. Add the mixture and cook for 10 mns while stirring
5. Add vinegar and take off the heat
6. Cool for 15 mns and serve. The rest can be refrigerated in a glass container.

Red Bissap Juice (Zobo)

This drink can claim various origins. From Egypt (karkadeh) to Senegal (bissap) to Nigeria (zobo), it is prepared and enjoyed more or less the same way. A minor difference is that Egyptians do drink it warm or cold. It is served daily in Senegal but also for special occasions. The main ingredient is the flower and leaf of the hibiscus sabdariffa or roselle pods. Because of the tartness of the beverage, it takes quite a bit of sugar to make it sweet. It is said to be high antioxidants such as vitamin C and polyphenols.

Jus de Bissap Rouge

Makes 1 liter

Ingredients

• 200g of dried bissap (dried hibiscus flowers)
• 150 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (NOT vanilla essence)
• 1 teaspoon of orange flower water (eau de fleur d'oranger) (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
• 5 t0 10 fresh mint leaves
• 1.2 l water (to allow for some loss to evaporation)
  

Preparation

1. Rinse the bissap leaves and bring to a boil. Turn off and let the mixture sit for 1 hour. Strain using a sieve or muslin.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients, finishing with the mint leaves.
3. Refrigerate before serving.