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Digir (Somali spiced black-eyed peas)
Digir: black-eyed peas stewed with onion, tomato and xawaash, a Mogadishu breakfast with flatbread
Mornings at Mogadishu tea shops often start with a bowl of digir, black-eyed peas cooked down with onion, tomato, garlic and a warm hit of xawaash until the sauce clings to every pea. It is scooped up with canjeero, muufo or a piece of soft bread and washed down with spiced shaah, and it keeps people full well past noon. The finished dish is thick rather than soupy, earthy and gently spiced, with a little green chilli for anyone who wants it. Tomatoes added before the onions have softened are the usual misstep: the sauce stays sharp and watery, so cook the onions properly first. Avoid boiling the peas at a gallop; they burst and go mushy. Simmer them gently. Chef's tip: save a cup of the bean cooking water; a splash of it at the end loosens the stew and makes it glossy without diluting the flavour.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz dried black-eyed peassoaked for 4–8 hours, or 3 x 400 g tins, drained
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 green pepperdiced
- 2 tsp xawaash spice mixSomali blend of cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and turmeric; ready-made or homemade
- 3 tomatoesgrated or finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 green chilli (optional)sliced
- ⅓ oz fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked 10 ½ oz dried black-eyed peas, cover with fresh water by 5 cm and simmer for 30–35 minutes until tender but not broken. Drain, keeping 250 ml of the cooking water. (With tinned peas, skip this step and use plain water.)
35 minStep 2: Heat the 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Fry the 2 onions for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden at the edges.
8 minStep 3: Add the 3 cloves garlic, 1 green pepper and 2 tsp xawaash spice mix and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.
2 minStep 4: Stir in the 3 tomatoes and 1 tbsp tomato paste and cook for 6–8 minutes until the tomato breaks down and the oil starts to shine at the edges.
7 minStep 5: Add the cooked peas, 1 tsp salt and about half the saved cooking water. Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick; add more liquid if it catches.
8 minStep 6: Taste for salt and scatter with 1 green chilli and ⅓ oz fresh coriander. Serve hot with flatbread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does digir (Somali spiced black-eyed peas) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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