Nigerian Amasi Spaghetti
Nigeria
Rédacteur
Abuja, Nigeria ·
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Abuja, Nigeria ·
This recipe puts amasi, the South African fermented milk, into a Nigerian style spaghetti sauce, and it is worth being clear that it is an invention rather than a dish with a history. Amasi belongs to the Nguni cattle keeping communities of southern Africa, where it is soured in a calabash and eaten over pap. Spaghetti belongs to urban Nigerian home cooking, where it has become one of the most eaten starches in the country. Putting them together is a pan African fusion of a kind that happens more and more as African food writing circulates across the continent, and there is nothing wrong with it. What there is not is any tradition behind it. No Nigerian household inherited this, and no South African one did either. What it does do is show what fermented milk brings to a tomato sauce, which is a real thing worth knowing. Amasi is thick, sharply sour and stable enough to go into a hot pan without curdling in the way fresh milk would, and it turns a tomato and mince sauce creamy and tangy at once. Buttermilk or plain yoghurt does the same job. The dish is presented here as what it is: a modern combination using an African ingredient in an unfamiliar way.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook to al dente. Drain and set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and fry until translucent.
Add the minced garlic and fry for another minute until fragrant.
If using ground beef, add it to the skillet, break it up with a spoon and cook until browned and fully cooked.
Add the diced tomatoes and chopped bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables soften.
Pour in the amasi and stir gently to combine.
Add the ground cumin, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Let the sauce simmer for 5 to 7 minutes on low heat.
Combine the sauce with the cooked spaghetti, tossing until the strands are evenly coated.
Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley or coriander.
Notes personnelles de Laila Yetunde6 avis
Chale, fermented milk in spaghetti sauce? I was skeptical paa when reading the cumin and amasi combination. But I tried it yesterday with red bell peppers and plenty garlic. It gives the pasta sauce a very rich taste, almost like sour cream but lighter. Next time I will add more pepper oo.
Chale, finding real amasi here in Columbus is not easy paa, I had to substitute with plain kefir! But herh, amasi is actually South African oo, not Nigerian. Glad you added plenty garlic though, it really cuts through that sour cream taste nicely.
Used halal beef mince from my local butcher in Coventry Road and bought cultured buttermilk from Tesco since amasi is tricky to get in Brum. The sauce was a bit too runny when I added the whole cup of buttermilk though, had to let it simmer for another 10 mins to reduce down. Taste was lovely in the end o.
couldn't find proper amasi here in north york so i just used the sealtest buttermilk from no frills. honestly tasted almost like back home! the thyme and cumin mix with the sourness of the milk gave the minced meat sauce a really nice tangy flavour. e sweet sha, my husband finished his whole plate.
Ah franchement, this reminded me a bit of how we tweak cream sauces back home, though amasi has a stronger tang. I bought buttermilk at the Safeway here in Silver Spring because I cannot find real amasi in Maryland. It worked nicely with the paprika and minced beef! A bit sour if you add too much, so go light on the fermented milk.
Sawa Mireille, finding real amasi here in Dubai is just as impossible! I usually substitute with local laban, but you are very right about the sourness. If you add too much, it completely drowns the flavour of the nyama and paprika. Going light is the trick. Poa!