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Dakhine (rice with peanut sauce and lamb)
Daxin: Dakar's rice cooked in a peanut and tomato sauce with tender lamb
Somewhere between mafé and a risotto, dakhine is everyday Dakar comfort food: lamb or beef simmered in a peanut and tomato sauce, with the rice cooked right in the same pot until it soaks up all that nutty, savoury flavour. The result is thick, rich and very filling, the meat falling apart into the rice and a gentle heat from a whole Scotch bonnet. It is eaten from a shared bowl at lunchtime, with a squeeze of lime or a little chilli sauce on the side. Chef's tip: make sure the lamb is completely tender before the rice goes in, because the rice sets the timetable after that; adding it too early is the common mistake that leaves tough meat in mushy rice.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb lamb shoulderboned, in 3 cm chunks; or stewing beef
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionschopped
- 4 garlic clovescrushed
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 ¼ cups hot water
- 1 Scotch bonnet chilliwhole
- 14 oz broken ricerinsed
- 1 lime (optional)cut into wedges
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Season 1 ¾ lb lamb shoulder with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper. Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the meat in batches until well coloured. Lift out.
10 minStep 2: Lower the heat to medium, add 2 onions and fry until soft and golden, then add 4 garlic cloves for 1 minute.
8 minStep 3: Stir in 3 tbsp tomato paste and fry until brick red, about 3 minutes.
3 minStep 4: Whisk 5 ½ oz smooth unsweetened peanut butter with a ladle of 6 ¼ cups hot water until smooth, then add to the pot with the rest of the water, 2 bay leaves, 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, the lamb and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer.
Step 5: Cover and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the lamb is tender when pierced with a fork and oil gathers on the surface.
45 minStep 6: Stir in 14 oz broken rice, cover and cook over a low heat, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom, until the rice is soft and has absorbed most of the sauce.
25 minStep 7: Rest off the heat, covered, for 5 minutes. Lift out the bay and chilli, and serve with 1 lime.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 690 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dakhine (rice with peanut sauce and lamb) take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground black pepper?
- Black peppercorns, freshly ground, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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