Day 162: Somalia and Lahooh with Suqaar

Good evening, Raffies!

Today I was very excited, because I could finally eat Injera again! Last time I ate it, it was over 100 days ago..we were just at the beginning of our journey and I had come across the fabulous cuisine of Eritrea.
Tonight, however, we are going to Somalia. It is time for Lahooh with Suqaar. Lahooh is a sourdough bread that resembles the Eritrean Injera.
Lahooh is a flat bread of somewhat spongy consistency. On the top, it builds little holes. It resembles a pancake, but you only cook it on one side. The best was to enjoy it, is warm and just freshly cooked. Add a little butter, honey or sugar or soak it in tea.
Lahooh is used as a plate and you use it to scoop up the different dishes of your meal. These dishes can be places on the Lahooh or in a bowl. It is a necessity in Eastern Africa and it is consumed on a daily basis at all times.
As for the Suqaar, it is one of the many possible dishes to serve with Lahooh.

The recipes are quite simple and as a result you will have a delicious and very filling meal.

For the Lahooh, I followed this recipe from a lovely website on Somali food:

2 c flour
1/2 c millet flour (I ground the grains up and made my own flour, since I could not find it)
3 c water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Start by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. Be careful not to have any lumps in the batter. It should be smooth. Cover it with a cloth and wait for about 1-1.5 hours until it has doubled in size. Now it might be that some liquid has settled on the bottom of the bowl. In that case, stir the batter.
Heat a skillet and spread 1/4 cup of batter in circular motions - I followed the recipe and started from the middle. Cook on one side until golden brown. In case the batter sticks to the pan, add a few drops of oil and rub with some kitchen paper. Continue until you have used up all the batter.

For the Suqaar I still followed the recipe from the same website:

300 g beef, cut in bite sized pieces
2 eggs
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp paprika
salt
pepper
2 green onions, chopped

In a skillet, fry the meat until brown. Add the oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the onion and stir for a few minutes.
Now add the tomatoes, the garlic, coriander and paprika and cook for 5 minutes.
Make two holes in the pan. Crack the egg into the hole. Cover the skillet and cook until the eggs are done. Enjoy!

I must say that the Suqaar reminded me of Shakshuka. The sole difference being that it contained meat, unlike Shakshuka. Obviously it was scrumptious. And we ate with our hands! Although, I think I could use some more practice in elegantly scooping up my food with a piece of Lahooh.

Have a great weekend, everyone!


Love,

Raffi