Chicken Yassa
yield: Makes 6 servings
The first African dish I tasted and truly enjoyed was Senegal's Chicken Yassa. The chicken marinated in lemon and onion was served with rice in a brightly decorated enamel basin. The thrill of eating in Senegal in the open air and the delicious gustatory counterpoints of lemon, chile, onion, and chicken combined to make my first taste of this dish one of my favorite culinary memories. Later, I served the dish in a modified version on the "Today Show." It has become my trademark dish, and many of my friends, if they haven't had a Yassa in a while, will ask for it. I've gotten so bold about my Yassa, that I've served it to my Senegalese friends. It's relatively simple to prepare and a perfect introduction to African food
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 3 large onions, sliced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 (or more) hot red Guinea pepper-type chile, cut into small pieces
- 5 tablespoons peanut oil
- One 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup water
Prepare a marinade of the lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, chile, and 4 tablespoons of the peanut oil. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, be sure they are well coated, and marinate them for at least 2 hours. Preheat the broiler to the highest setting. Remove the chicken pieces and reserve the marinade. Place the chicken pieces on the broiler rack and grill them briefly until they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove the onions from the marinade and sauté them in the remaining oil. Cook them slowly until tender, then add the reserved marinade. When the liquid is thoroughly heated, add the chicken pieces. Add the water and simmer the Yassa over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Serve hot, over white rice. Yassa can also be made with fish substituted for the chicken. In the Casamance region of Senegal, where the dish originated, Monkey Yassa, is considered a delicacy, but you're on your own there.
Other suggestions offered:
I am from Senegal and I grew up eating Yassa. We prepare Yassa also with lamb chops or fish(whole tilapia, redsnapper...)
I learned to make this in senegal when I lived there as an exchange student, and used this recipe as a refresher. I have a few suggestions: first, scotch bonnet is the closest hot pepper to what they use in Dakar. Second, caramelize those onions! It's way better with them brown and crusty. Lastly, and this is not traditional, but I thought it was delicious, I added a couple of handfuls of raw peanuts to the onions as they cooked. You could use roasted ones too. Peanut oil in Senegal is less processed and therefore more peanuty, so this added a flavor dimension to the dish that it usually lacks when I have made it stateside. Senegal is also a "crusty rice" culture. If you have time and a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, I recommend pan frying your cooked rice in a small amount of oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat before you serve it. It is an extra step, but those little crusty bits are awesome and contribute a lot to the dish.
this one definitely needs some tweaking. I have a benefit of working with a guy from Senegal, so... First onions need to be really caramelized, not just "cooked until tender". Then my friend gave me some boullion cubes he gets at an african store, but I think any kind will do. I usually use habanero peppers since I still have no idea what "Guinea pepper-type" is. Overall works very well, if you like lemon and onion combination. The flavor is fairly simple and subtle, don't expect indian curry type of dish here.
I first had poulet yassa in Mali, at Sikasso's Hotel Mamelon (near the hill of the same name), and I've often returned to the simplicity of chicken, onion and lemon since then. This is an exceptional dish when grilled on charcoal. Most of the versions of the dish use vinegar, mustard, garlic, and bay leaves, and I recommend adding them to this recipe, along with a third again as much lemon and a much longer marinade time.
I used purple onions instead of the white onions, added some garlic and the juice of an orange. I also let the chicken marinate overnight in the frig. For better color and flavor (I tried this dish 3 times already) I split the cooking between the oven and the broiler. Maybe not strictly the same African recipe, but we enjoyed it!
I made this dish last night and was quite surprise at all the flavor it generated -- it was wonderful. I marinated the chicken overnight using spanish onions and white onion.
