Senegalese lamb and rice — the meat companion to thiéboudienne, slow-cooked in rich tomato sauce with vegetables.
Thiébou yapp (rice with lamb) is the meat version of Senegal's national dish thiéboudienne and equally beloved. Lamb pieces are cooked in a rich tomato and onion broth with vegetables including cassava, squash, and sweet potato, then used to cook the rice in the deeply flavoured cooking liquid. Like its fish counterpart, it is typically cooked in a single large pot and eaten communally, directly from the pot on a mat. The spice blend of touk (black pepper, cumin, bouillon) gives Senegalese rice dishes their distinctive character.
Serves 6
Heat oil in a large heavy pot. Brown lamb pieces well on all sides in batches. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, fry onions until golden. Add garlic, tomato purée, crushed tomatoes, cumin, black pepper and stock cubes. Cook 15 minutes stirring until sauce darkens.
Return lamb to the pot. Add enough water to nearly cover (about 1 litre). Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 45 minutes.
Add cassava, squash and sweet potato. Cook 20 more minutes until all vegetables are tender.
Remove lamb and vegetables to a platter. Measure the remaining broth — you need 750ml. Add water if necessary. Bring to a boil. Add rinsed rice, stir once. Cover tightly and cook on low heat 18 minutes.
Fluff rice and mound on a large platter. Arrange lamb and vegetables on top. Serve communally.
The darkening of the tomato base (step 2) is critical for depth — allow the paste to cook down until it is almost caramelised.
Rice cooked in the lamb broth is significantly more flavourful than plain rice — do not substitute with separately cooked rice.
Serve traditionally on a large communal platter — eating from individual plates is a western adaptation.
Use beef instead of lamb for a slightly milder version.
Add a whole scotch bonnet to the braise for heat — remove before serving.
Refrigerate lamb and rice separately for 3 days. The flavour deepens overnight.
Thiébou yapp is the meat companion to thiéboudienne, which was developed in Saint-Louis, Senegal in the 19th century. Both dishes use the same technique of cooking rice in a deeply flavoured meat or fish broth — a method shared with West African jollof rice traditions and distinct from North African couscous or Asian rice dishes.
Both cook rice in a tomato-based broth, but thiéboudienne-style dishes are typically one-pot with large meat pieces and whole vegetables, while jollof rice is cooked without vegetables in the pot. Senegalese rice also tends to use palm oil or vegetable oil rather than groundnut oil, and incorporates fermented locust bean (netetou) for additional depth.
Per serving · 6 servings total
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