Suqaar – Somali Spiced Meat & Vegetables

About This Recipe

Suqaar is one of the most versatile and widely prepared dishes in Somali cooking — a quick sauté of diced meat (beef, lamb or camel) with onions, peppers, tomatoes and xawaash spice blend that comes together in under 30 minutes. It is the Somali equivalent of a stir-fry, eaten at any meal of the day, often for breakfast alongside canjeero and shaah (spiced tea). The small, uniform dice of meat ensures quick cooking while retaining juiciness, and the dish can be adapted endlessly to whatever vegetables are at hand.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 glean beef or lamb, cut into 1 cm dice
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 largeonion, diced
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 wholegreen pepper, diced
• 2 mediumtomatoes, diced
• 1 mediumzucchini/courgette, diced
• 1 mediumpotato, peeled and finely diced
• 2 tspxawaash spice blend (or 1 tsp cumin + 0.5 tsp coriander + 0.5 tsp cardamom)
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 handfulfresh coriander leaves

Instructions

1. 1

   Sear the meat

   Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok over very high heat until smoking. Add the diced meat in a single layer and do not stir for 2 minutes until browned on one side. Toss and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Soften onion and garlic

   In the same pan, add onion and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

3. 3

   Add spices

   Add xawaash, turmeric and black pepper. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.

4. 4

   Add potatoes and peppers

   Add diced potato and green pepper. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the potato begins to soften.

5. 5

   Add tomatoes and zucchini

   Stir in tomatoes and zucchini. Cook for 4–5 minutes until softened.

6. 6

   Combine and finish

   Return the seared meat to the pan. Toss everything together and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust salt and scatter fresh coriander. Serve immediately with canjeero or rice.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken breast for a lighter version.

• •

  Add corn kernels and diced carrot for extra colour and sweetness.

• •

  Make a camel meat version for the most traditional Somali preparation.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan over high heat with a splash of oil.

Frequently Asked Questions