Cambuulo (Somali adzuki beans with butter and sugar)
Cambuulo: soft-simmered adzuki beans finished with butter and a little sugar, Mogadishu's comforting supper
Small red adzuki beans, cooked slowly until they almost collapse, are the heart of cambuulo, a dish Mogadishu households make for a cheap, filling evening meal. Once the beans are soft they are glossed with butter, a spoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt, so the flavour lands somewhere between savoury and gently sweet. Many families stir the beans into plain rice or serve the two side by side, with a drizzle of sesame oil and a banana on the plate. The texture should be creamy, with some beans still whole. The usual mistake is pulling the pot off too early: firm beans never turn creamy, so keep simmering until one crushes easily against the side of the pan. Chef's tip: soak the beans overnight and change the water before cooking; they cook more evenly and are easier to digest.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the beans
- 10 ½ oz dried adzuki beanssoaked overnight in plenty of cold water
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅜ oz butteror ghee
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil (optional)untoasted, for drizzling
To serve
- 9 oz basmati ricerinsed until the water runs clear
- 1 ¾ cups waterfor the rice
- 4 bananas (optional)ripe
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked 10 ½ oz dried adzuki beans, rinse them and put them in a large pan with the 6 ¼ cups water. Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off any foam.
10 minStep 2: Lower the heat, half-cover and simmer gently for 60–70 minutes, topping up with hot water if the beans peep above the liquid. They are ready when a bean crushes with no resistance against the side of the pan; if it is still firm, keep going.
65 minStep 3: Meanwhile, cook the 9 oz basmati rice with the 1 ¾ cups water and a pinch of the 1 tsp salt in a lidded pan: bring to the boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes until the water is absorbed. Rest it, covered, for 5 minutes.
17 minStep 5: Serve the beans next to the rice or folded through it, drizzled with 2 tbsp sesame oil, with 4 bananas on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 98 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cambuulo (Somali adzuki beans with butter and sugar) take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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