Collection
African Beef & Lamb Recipes
A tour of Africa through beef & lamb: 54 authentic dishes, each tied to a real country and region, each with its cultural story and dietary swaps built in.
54 recipes
Zanzibar PilauZanzibar, Tanzania · medium · 70 minRice simmered with whole spices from the island’s own groves, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, with beef and a kachumbari salad.
Friday Couscous with Seven VegetablesAlgiers, Algeria · medium · 75 minSteamed couscous under a saffron-tinted vegetable stew, the meal that gathers Algerian families every Friday.
NdoléLittoral (Douala), Cameroon · medium · 80 minCameroon’s national dish: bitterleaf greens simmered with ground peanuts, beef, and shrimp into a deep, satisfying stew.
RomazavaAnalamanga (Antananarivo), Madagascar · easy · 75 minMadagascar’s national broth: zebu beef and mixed leafy greens with ginger and tomato, ladled over rice.
Seswaa with PapGaborone, Botswana · easy · 160 minBeef simmered for hours with little more than salt, then pounded into rich shreds, Botswana’s dish of weddings and state occasions.
Egusi SoupEnugu (Southeast), Nigeria · medium · 65 minGround melon seeds cooked into a rich, nubbly soup with greens and assorted meats, the pride of the Igbo southeast.
Bunny ChowKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa · medium · 80 minA hollowed half-loaf of bread filled with fiery Durban curry, the ultimate hand-held street meal.
SuyaKano (North), Nigeria · easy · 42 minThin beef skewers crusted in spicy, nutty yaji spice and grilled over coals, northern Nigeria’s legendary night-market snack.
BobotieWestern Cape, South Africa · easy · 70 minCurried spiced mince baked under a golden savory custard, sweet with dried fruit and fragrant with bay, South Africa’s national comfort.
Bamia (Sudanese Okra Stew)Khartoum, Sudan · easy · 70 minTender lamb and okra simmered in a garlicky tomato broth spiced with black lime, Sudan’s everyday comfort, scooped with kisra.
Kefta Mkaouara (Meatball Tagine)Marrakesh-Safi, Morocco · easy · 55 minSpiced meatballs simmered in a cumin-scented tomato sauce with eggs cracked on top, a bubbling tagine eaten with bread.
MaafeBamako, Mali · easy · 95 minA rich West African groundnut stew of peanut butter, tomato, and root vegetables simmered around tender meat.
ZigniAsmara, Eritrea · medium · 115 minA fiery Eritrean beef stew built on berbere spice and long-cooked onions, eaten with injera.
TibsiAsmara, Eritrea · medium · 40 minCubes of beef seared hard with onion, green chili and berbere until the edges brown, an Eritrean celebration dish eaten with injera.
Gboma DessiLomé, Togo · easy · 75 minA rich Togolese spinach stew simmered with tomato, red palm oil, and beef or fish.
Cassava Leaf StewFreetown, Sierra Leone · medium · 100 minFinely pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked with palm oil, beef, and smoked fish over rice.
SkoudehkarisDjibouti City, Djibouti · medium · 75 minDjibouti's national dish: spiced rice cooked with lamb, tomato, and cardamom in one pot.
Riz GrasOuagadougou, Burkina Faso · medium · 85 minBurkina Faso's "fat rice": rice simmered in a rich tomato-and-meat broth until every grain is stained red.
Kanda ti NymaBangui, Central African Republic · medium · 70 minCentral African meatballs simmered in a nutty tomato-and-okra sauce thickened with ground pumpkin seeds.
SuperkanjaBanjul, The Gambia · medium · 80 minThe Gambia's rich okra stew with palm oil, smoked fish, and meat, spooned over rice.
MéchouiNouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 230 minWhole lamb (or a shoulder) slow-roasted with cumin and salt until falling off the bone, desert feast food.
KapanaWindhoek, Namibia · easy · 30 minNamibia's open-fire street beef: thin strips grilled fast over coals and dusted with a spicy dry rub.
BazinTripoli, Libya · medium · 90 minA firm barley-flour dome served in a spiced lamb-and-tomato sauce with a hard-boiled egg.
TibsAddis Ababa, Ethiopia · easy · 35 minSizzling sautéed beef or lamb with onions, chili, and rosemary, served on injera, a celebratory Ethiopian favorite.
HawawshiCairo, Egypt · easy · 45 minSpiced minced meat baked inside crisp flatbread until juicy and golden, an Egyptian street sandwich.
GatsbyWestern Cape, South Africa · easy · 45 minA foot-long roll crammed with meat or masala fillings, hot chips, and peri-peri, Cape Town's legendary sharing sandwich.
ChakhchoukhaAlgiers, Algeria · medium · 120 minTorn flatbread bathed in a spiced lamb, chickpea, and tomato sauce, an Algerian dish for gatherings.
Nyama ne SadzaHarare, Zimbabwe · easy · 75 minBeef stewed with tomato and onion served with stiff maize sadza, the everyday heart of the Zimbabwean table.
Macaroni ImbakbakaTripoli, Libya · easy · 60 minPasta simmered in a spiced lamb-and-tomato sauce until it absorbs it all, Libya's signature everyday pasta.
SuqaarMogadishu, Somalia · easy · 40 minSmall cubes of meat sautéed with potato, peppers, and Somali xawaash spice, a quick everyday dish.
ShaiyahKhartoum, Sudan · easy · 35 minStrips of lamb quickly fried with onion, peppers, and spices, a popular Sudanese meat dish for gatherings.
FakoyeBamako, Mali · medium · 70 minA slippery jute-leaf sauce with meat and smoked fish, served over rice or with tô, a Malian and Sahelian favorite.
DomodaBanjul, The Gambia · medium · 80 minThe Gambian groundnut stew: meat simmered in a thick, tangy peanut sauce with tomato and pumpkin, served over rice.
Maru wa LahméNouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 90 minMeat and vegetables simmered in a mustard-scented broth, then rice cooked in that broth, the generous communal lunch of the Mauritanian table.
Vetkoek with MinceWindhoek, Namibia · medium · 120 minGolden fried dough buns split and stuffed with savory curried beef mince, a favorite Namibian street lunch.
NashifN'Djamena, Chad · easy · 40 minGround beef sautéed with tomato, onion, and warm spices into a quick, savory dish eaten with bread or rice in N'Djamena.
Serobe (Offal Stew)Gaborone, Botswana · medium · 180 minA Botswana delicacy of well-cleaned tripe and intestines slow-simmered until tender, chopped fine, and served with stiff bogobe porridge.
Eru (Wild Greens with Waterleaf)Littoral (Douala), Cameroon · medium · 75 minA rich, oily stew of finely shredded eru forest leaves and waterleaf cooked with palm oil, smoked fish and crayfish, eaten with garri or water fufu.
PotjiekosWindhoek, Namibia · medium · 175 minMeat and root vegetables layered in a three-legged cast-iron pot and slow-cooked undisturbed over coals into a tender, richly spiced stew.
Mloukhia (Jute Leaf Beef Stew)Tunis, Tunisia · medium · 260 minA dark, glossy Tunisian stew of powdered jute leaves slow-cooked with olive oil and beef until silky and almost black.
Jarret de Boeuf au Gombo (Beef and Okra Stew)N'Djamena, Chad · medium · 200 minSlow-cooked beef shank in a glossy okra sauce, a Chadian classic eaten with a ball of millet boule.
Kisra with MulahJuba, South Sudan · medium · 80 minThin, tangy fermented sorghum flatbread torn to scoop up mulah, a rich okra and meat stew, the everyday staple pairing of South Sudan after asida.
Chorba FrikAlgiers, Algeria · medium · 80 minThe Ramadan soup of Algeria: a spiced tomato broth with lamb, chickpeas and smoky green freekeh, thick enough to eat as a meal.
Pilao (Comorian Spiced Rice)Moroni, Comoros · medium · 85 minFragrant basmati layered with tender beef and a warm island spice mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and cardamom.
Miyan Kuka (Baobab Leaf Soup)Niamey, Niger · medium · 75 minA dark, savoury soup thickened with powdered baobab leaves, meat and palm oil, eaten with a mound of tuwo.
Mullah Waika (Dried Okra Stew)Khartoum, Sudan · easy · 70 minA silky, velvety stew of meat thickened with sun-dried okra powder, one of Sudan's most beloved traditional dishes.
Mauritanian CouscousNouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 100 minSteamed semolina piled with lamb and Saharan vegetables in a spiced broth, Mauritania's share of the Maghreb couscous tradition.
Sauce Graine (Palm Fruit Stew)Abidjan (Lagunes), Côte d’Ivoire · medium · 90 minA rich, earthy Ivorian stew built on palm fruit pulp with meat and smoked fish, spooned over rice or foutou.
Sauce Gombo Ivoirienne (Okra Sauce)Abidjan (Lagunes), Côte d’Ivoire · easy · 60 minA silky, faintly stringy Ivorian okra sauce with beef and smoked fish in a tomato and palm oil broth, eaten with foutou or rice.
Mbatten (Stuffed Potato Fritters)Tripoli, Libya · medium · 70 minPotato slices sandwiched around spiced minced meat, coated and fried until the outside is golden and the potato tender.
Baasto iyo Suugo (Somali Spaghetti)Mogadishu, Somalia · easy · 55 minSpaghetti under a xawaash-spiced beef and tomato sauce, the Somali table always finished with a ripe banana on the side.
Okra Soup (Sierra Leonean)Freetown, Sierra Leone · easy · 65 minFresh okra cooked down with beef and smoked fish in a red palm oil broth into a thick, silky Freetown Saturday soup.
Leksour (Lamb Stew on Pancakes)Nouakchott, Mauritania · medium · 100 minA spiced lamb and vegetable stew spooned over thin millet-and-wheat pancakes, rolled and eaten by hand.
Miyan Taushe (Pumpkin and Groundnut Soup)Niamey, Niger · easy · 65 minA creamy Hausa soup of mashed pumpkin and pounded groundnuts with meat and greens, thick, mildly sweet and savoury.
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