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Vary sosoa
Vary sosoa: soft, soupy Malagasy morning rice with greens and sakay chilli
In Antananarivo and across the highlands, the day starts with a bowl of vary sosoa: rice cooked with plenty of water until the grains are soft and loose in their milky cooking liquid, wetter than plain rice but not as smooth as congee. Stalls serve it with kitoza (dried meat), eggs or a spoon of fiery sakay; this vegan version tops it with garlicky greens and homemade sakay chilli paste. The common mistake is stirring it like risotto, which makes it gluey; stir only now and then. Chef's tip: make the sakay the day before; the ginger and chilli mellow overnight in the oil.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz long-grain white ricerinsed twice
- 6 ¼ cups water
- ¾ tsp salt
- 7 oz spinach or watercressroughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlicsliced
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
For the sakay
- 4 fresh red chilliesroughly chopped
- ⅔ oz fresh gingerpeeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: For the sakay, pound or blitz 4 fresh red chillies, ⅔ oz fresh ginger, 1 clove garlic and ¼ tsp salt to a coarse paste, then stir in 3 tbsp sunflower oil. It's very hot; keep it in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
Step 2: Put 9 oz long-grain white rice, 6 ¼ cups water and ¾ tsp salt in a large pan and bring to the boil over a high heat.
8 minStep 3: Lower to a gentle simmer, partly cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until the grains are very soft and swollen and sitting in a cloudy, slightly thickened liquid. Add hot water if it gets thick.
22 minStep 4: Meanwhile warm 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, fry 2 cloves garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add 7 oz spinach or watercress and stir until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt.
3 minStep 5: Ladle the rice into bowls, top with the greens and serve sakay on the side for everyone to add a dab.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vary sosoa take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 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 long-grain white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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