Sudanese
Gluten freeMullah tagalia (Sudanese dried-meat and okra stew)
Mullah tagalia: pounded dried meat and dried okra powder in a dark sauce of deeply fried onion
Tagalia is the stew northern Sudanese families turn to for everyday lunches and when guests arrive unannounced, because it is made almost entirely from the store cupboard: pounded sharmout, dried okra powder called weika and a mountain of onions fried slowly until dark. Unlike mullah bamia, which uses fresh okra, it is smooth, thick and dark brown, with a rich, savoury, slightly smoky taste, and it is scooped up with kisra or aseeda from one shared bowl. Cooks in Nubia and along the Nile say good tagalia is all in the onion. Dumping the weika in at once is the classic mistake, and it sets into slimy lumps; sprinkle it slowly while whisking. Chef's tip: keep frying the onions until they are a deep chestnut colour but never black; burnt onion makes the whole pot bitter.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 350 kcal
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 onionsvery finely chopped
- 5 ½ oz sharmout (dried beef)pounded to coarse flakes; or 300 g lean minced beef
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 ¾ cups hot water
- 3 tbsp dried okra powderweika; from Sudanese or Middle Eastern shops
- ¾ tsp salttaste first if the meat is salty
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the 6 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Add the 4 onions and fry for 20–25 minutes, stirring often and scraping the base, until deep chestnut brown and jammy. Add a splash of water if it starts to catch.
25 minStep 2: Add the 5 ½ oz sharmout (dried beef) and fry for 5 minutes, stirring. (If using minced beef, fry it for 8 minutes until browned and all the liquid has gone.)
6 minStep 3: Stir in the 5 cloves garlic, 2 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp ground black pepper and ¼ tsp ground cardamom for 1 minute, then the 3 tbsp tomato paste for 2 minutes.
3 minStep 4: Pour in the 3 ¾ cups hot water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. With minced beef, simmer until it reaches 160°F, well within this time.
15 minStep 5: Sprinkle in the 3 tbsp dried okra powder a teaspoon at a time while whisking hard, then simmer 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the stew is thick, smooth and glossy.
10 minStep 6: Season with the ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp chilli flakes and serve hot with kisra or aseeda.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 350 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mullah tagalia (Sudanese dried-meat and okra stew) take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 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 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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