Xawaash

What we know so far

Xawaash (said "hawaash", a cousin of the Yemeni hawaij) is the spice blend that touches almost every Somali dish, the garam masala of the Horn: cumin and coriander seed as the base, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves toasted with them, and turmeric stirred in after grinding for colour. It goes into bariis iskukaris, suqaar, digaag qumbe, maraq and suugo, and every home cook has her own ratio; some add fenugreek, dried ginger, nutmeg or sage. It is made in big batches and kept in a jar by the stove, and the smell of it toasting is the smell of a Somali kitchen.

The draft was written from 2 published sources and holds 9 ingredients and 6 steps. It has never been cooked by anybody at AFN, which is why it is waiting.

What claiming it means

1. Cook it the way you actually make it. Change anything in our draft that is wrong, and most of it probably is.
2. Photograph your own, so the page carries a real picture instead of somebody else's.
3. Send it in. An editor reads it, and it publishes with your name on it and a link to your profile.

See every dish waiting