East African recipes
29 East African recipes for a home kitchen, from 10 minutes. Have some of the ingredients already? Match them to what you have.
Dinner
20 min
East African · dinner
Kitfo
Ethiopian minced beef warmed in spiced clarified butter with mitmita chili, served with greens and injera.
20 min
East African · dinner
Sukuma wiki
Kenyan everyday greens: collards or kale sautéed with onion and tomato, served with ugali.
30 min
East African · dinner
Beef suqaar (Somali beef stir-fry)
Small cubes of beef quickly cooked with onion, peppers, tomato and xawaash spices, finished with lime and cilantro.
30 min
East African · dinner
Ethiopian doro tibs
Quick Ethiopian chicken stir-fry with onions, rosemary, jalapeño and spiced butter.
40 min
East African · dinner
Ethiopian lamb tibs
Lamb pieces marinated with garlic, rosemary and cardamom, seared quickly with onion, jalapeño and spiced butter until juicy, served with injera or rice.
40 min
East African · dinner
Coconut chicken kuku paka
Chicken thighs seared and simmered in a coconut milk sauce with tomato, onion, ginger and turmeric, then finished with lime. A Swahili-coast dish with a mellow, bright flavor.
40 min
East African · dinner
Shiro wat
Velvety Ethiopian stew of spiced chickpea flour simmered with onion, garlic and berbere, served with injera.
40 min
East African · dinner
Gomen (Ethiopian collard greens)
Collard greens braised with onion, garlic, ginger and green chili—a staple on every injera platter.
45 min
East African · dinner
Misir wot (Ethiopian spiced red lentils)
Red lentils simmered with onions, berbere and spiced butter until thick and rich.
45 min
East African · dinner
Mishkaki
East African beef skewers marinated in lemon, garlic, ginger and spices, grilled over charcoal.
45 min
East African · dinner
Bariis iskukaris (Somali spiced rice)
Fragrant Somali basmati rice cooked with xawaash spice, onion, tomato and raisins, served with a banana on the side.
50 min
East African · dinner
Digaag qumbe (Somali coconut chicken stew)
Chicken simmered with xawaash spice, tomato, peppers and coconut milk into a fragrant, gently spiced stew. Serve with rice or bananas.
55 min
East African · dinner
Berbere chicken stew
Two onions cooked slowly until deeply golden form the base, then berbere, tomato paste and chicken simmer into a rich, spicy sauce.
60 min
East African · dinner
Urojo (Zanzibar mix)
Tangy, turmeric-mango soup with bhajias, potatoes, cassava crisps, chutneys and skewers—Zanzibar's street-food bowl.
60 min
East African · dinner
Matooke
Ugandan staple of green cooking bananas steamed and mashed, or stewed with tomato and onion.
75 min
East African · dinner
Swahili pilau
East African coastal rice spiced with cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, cooked with beef and potatoes.
90 min
East African · dinner
Nyama choma with ugali and kachumbari
Kenyan grilled goat or beef with stiff maize porridge and a fresh tomato-onion salad.
120 min
East African · dinner
Doro wat (Ethiopian chicken stew)
Chicken and boiled eggs slowly stewed in a deep red berbere and onion sauce.
120 min
East African · dinner
Chicken luwombo
Ugandan royal dish of chicken in groundnut sauce steamed in banana-leaf parcels.
120 min
East African · dinner
Isombe
Rwandan pounded cassava leaves cooked with eggplant, spinach, onion and peanut butter.
120 min
East African · dinner
Zigni
Eritrean spicy beef stew in a deep red berbere-tomato sauce, served on injera.
Lunch & snacks
10 min
East African · lunch
Somali basbaas sauce
Bright green Somali chili sauce of cilantro, green chilies, lime and garlic for meat, rice and eggs.
45 min
East African · lunch
Zanzibar pizza
Stone Town night-market parcel of stretched dough filled with spiced minced meat, egg, onion and cheese, griddled crisp.
60 min
East African · lunch
Somali sambusa
Crisp triangle pastries filled with spiced ground beef, onion, green chili and cilantro—a Ramadan iftar staple.
Breakfast
20 min
East African · breakfast
Rolex
Uganda's beloved 'rolled eggs': a vegetable omelette rolled up in a chapati.
30 min
East African · breakfast
Lahoh (Somali pancakes)
Spongy, slightly sour fermented flatbreads cooked on one side, for honey or savory stews.
30 min
East African · breakfast
Chipsi mayai
Tanzanian street food: French fries set into an omelette, served with kachumbari and chili sauce.
60 min
East African · breakfast
Canjeero (laxoox)
Spongy, slightly sour Somali fermented pancakes for breakfast with butter, sugar and tea or with suqaar.
Baking & sweets
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