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Suqaar
Somali beef stir-fry with peppers and xawaash spice
Suqaar is the quick beef dish found everywhere from Mogadishu tea shops to Somali cafés in Minneapolis and London: small cubes of beef or lamb browned with onion, peppers and garlic, seasoned with xawaash, the house spice mix of cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric. Somalis eat it for breakfast with canjeero (spongy flatbread) or for lunch with rice or pasta. The mistake is cutting the beef in big chunks, which go chewy; cut it into small 1–2 cm cubes so it cooks fast and stays tender. Chef's tip: add a squeeze of lime and a handful of coriander just before serving.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 ⅓ lb beef sirloin or rump and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring now and then, until browned and any liquid has evaporated.
5 minStep 2: Add 1 onion and 3 garlic cloves and cook for 3 minutes. Add 2 tsp xawaash spice mix, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt and stir for 30 seconds.
4 minStep 3: Add 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 tomato and 1 green chilli and cook for 5–6 minutes, until the peppers are just soft and the beef is tender with no pink juices; small cubes cooked this way reach well over 145°F.
6 minStep 4: Stir in 3 tbsp chopped coriander, squeeze over some 1 lime and serve with canjeero, rice or bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does suqaar take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 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 onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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