Hilib Suqaar (Beef and Vegetable Sauté)

Published March 28, 2024

Hilib Suqaar (Beef and Vegetable Sauté)
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(109)
Comments
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A staple in Somali cuisine, this hearty beef and vegetable dish is found in restaurants and homes alike. Suqaar comes in several variations, all involving little pieces of meat. This recipe uses boneless beef stew meat, but there is also camel, lamb and chicken suqaar. While everyone has their own spin on suqaar, substituting in their favorite vegetables or additional spices of choice, the foundational ingredients are typically small cuts of meat, aromatic xawaash spice and vibrantly colored peppers. The peppers are the last ingredient added to the suqaar, so cook to your desired level of doneness. Hilib suqaar pairs well with a flatbread like muufo, or spooned over plain white rice or Somali-style spiced rice. If you’d like some heat, make a little basbaas cagaar, a fiery green hot sauce that can be served on the side.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 1large white onion, halved and sliced
  • 1pound boneless beef stew meat, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • Salt
  • 5garlic cloves, minced
  • 4teaspoons xawaash (see Tip)
  • 1large russet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1medium red bell pepper, halved, stemmed, seeded and sliced
  • 1medium green bell pepper, halved, stemmed, seeded and sliced
  • Muufo or rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large skillet over medium heat, heat up the oil until shimmering, 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Turn the heat to medium-high, stir in the meat and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned on all sides, 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic, xawaash and ¼ cup water. Turn heat back to medium and cover the pot. Cook until the meat is tender, about 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Once the meat is tender, add the potatoes, cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add in both bell peppers and ¼ cup more water. Cover again and simmer until potatoes are tender, adding additional water as needed, 10 to 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Serve the suqaar immediately, with a flatbread like muufo, or over rice. Hilib suqaar can last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Tip
  • To prepare your own xawaash blend, add 8 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom to a small nonstick pan. Toast over low heat, stirring continuously, for 1 minute or until the spice mix becomes fragrant, then stir in 1 teaspoon ground turmeric. Makes 12 teaspoons.

Ratings

4 out of 5
109 user ratings
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Comments

Really enjoyed the final product. Great comfort food and easy. But I stewed the meat with the onions much longer. Recipe specifically calls for stew beef but total cook time is just half an hour or so. Not likely to be long enough to get it tender. I stewed the beef, spices, and onions for at least 2 hours, then proceeded with recipe. Great result. Would have been too tough otherwise.

Made this with bone-in lamb stewing meat. It was a tasty meal. Followed the recipe (see notes below) aside from adding a handful of spinach and half a minced jalapeno that were hanging around. (It's a stew after all!). 1. As others have noted, it will take at least 30 minutes for the meat to become tender - 45 if it's bone-in. 2. I used about a cup of water in total as the stew tends to thicken up and dry out as it cooks. 3. Next time I will fry the onions separately from the meat.

Excellent, and I really recommend making the hot sauce mentioned in the description. Other than heat it brings some welcome acidity to the meal.

Follow the recommendation of the other commenter and stew the beef and onions for at least 2 hours. Alternately, marinate the meat in something acidic (olive oil and lemon juice would be fine) overnight to help break it down. The meat will not tenderize in the recipe allotted cook time.

Does anyone know if this recipe freezes well?? Doing a remote camping trip and need to kryer vac or freeze some meals😉

Followed the recipe except for omitting the cilantro (I don’t like cilantro). It was a big hit with my family served over rice. We will be making this again and adding to our family dinner rotation. Both kids liked it and want it in their lunch tomorrow which is a telling sign.

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