African Recipes

Tasty, deep-fried bread typically filled with meat and served as a snack.

Eggs poached in a simmering spicy sauce of tomato, onion, and bell pepper.

This harissa chickpea stew is served over rice with eggs and za'atar.

Rich and creamy tart made with milk and eggs topped with cinnamon sugar.

Slow-cooked savory lamb stew simmered with aromatic spices and vegetables.

This classic Ethiopian blend is easy to make at home and use in cooking.

Spicy South African dish made with curried ground beef topped with custard.

My Ethiopian friend brought this dish to a potluck and I've been making it ever since. It is healthy and delicious. Do not add liquid. The cabbage and potatoes release enough moisture on their own.

Harissa powder is the ground spice blend of the spicy, earthy North African paste with a base of smoked chili peppers. It can be used as a dry rub on meats or as a spice in place of any other spice blend in your favorite recipe, such as tacos, tagines, braised meats, curries, or even tofu. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month, or until the expiration date of any of the single ingredients, if earlier.

This spice mix is often called for in many Moroccan dishes.

These amazingly soft triangle-shaped donuts are very famous in East Africa where I come from. They are excellent with a cup of tea or coffee. The dash of cardamom adds an authentic taste which makes it different from regular donuts. You can serve it with either honey or jam. Could be also served with curry - that is how we like it...

A traditional recipe for this eggplant dip. It consists of baked eggplant with garlic, lemon juice, and tahini sauce. Dip into this with pita bread and you have yourself a delicious-and-light appetizer.

A vegetable-full curry! Serve this curry over your favorite rice and you're sure to have a tasty meal. If you have carrot-ginger juice available to you, try using it in place of the orange juice - either one is delicious!

This rich, South African pudding contains no marshmallows, but probably got its name from its spongy texture! Delicious served hot or cold with cream.

I have been making this Moroccan-style recipe for years. It's so easy to make, it has become a tradition in our household.

This is a traditional South African meal, and is good winter fare. Bredie is an old Cape name for a dish of meat and vegetables stewed together so that the flavors intermingle. The gravy is rich, thick and full-bodied, and is obtained by using meat with a fair amount of bone and fat, rolling it in flour and browning it before the vegetables are added. The flavor improves if left a day or two before eating. Nice with brown rice.

This delicious, healthy North African-inspired stew is a family favorite, served with warm bread or even over couscous. You can make the entire stew ahead of time, let it cool, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for several months. You can also chop the veggies and mix the spices ahead of time, freeze them, and assemble it with the canned ingredients the day you wish to cook it for a wonderful exotic meal in just 30 minutes.

West African beef and seafood stew thickened with seeds in a tomato base.

A South African favorite! We call it 'Bruinpoeding' (Brown Pudding) in South Africa.

I learned about this when I was in Kenya. I've never tasted better fries nor more nutritious fries. Potatoes aren't that common in Kenya but bananas and roots are. They taste as good as any fast food French fries and are healthier. Green bananas are the healthiest because they have all their vitamins where ripe ones lose most of them because they're too ripe. Green bananas do not have a strong banana flavor at all. It's very deceptive and very healthy. I couldn't stop eating them.

This is a great spicy marinade recipe, a traditional African dish, great for BBQ. Nice with salad and fries, but I like adding it to a pita with salad and garlic Greek yogurt (3/4 cup Greek yogurt and 3 cloves of crushed garlic with finely chopped chives). Don't go on a date though, gives you wicked garlic breath!

This dish is great served with my Lamb Tagine and Cucumber Raita also on this site.

This is a Somali recipe. I learned it by watching my Somali friends around Ramadan and I was able to make my own variation. They are really good and I can't stop eating them. They are served during Ramadan, Weddings, Parties, or just because. Since I am married to a Somalian man, I learned to cook a few things, and there are some of my American dishes he loves as well. For a variation you can substitute shredded beef for ground beef.

Spices, spices, spices! This recipe is thick with 'em, and your taste buds will be thick with pleasure from Moroccan Chicken. This exotic tasting dish is a definite crowd pleaser!