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By Ann Volkwein
Essential Ingredients |
Kitchen Equipment
Black-Eyed Peas
This legume is used in main dishes and appetizers. Whenever possible, use dried rather than canned.
Buttermilk
Served natural or sweetened as a beverage, with perhaps a bit of orange flower water or vanilla and nutmeg. It also is used to make the dessert Tiakry. According to Jessica Harris, Senegalese buttermilk is "closer to thicker clabber (unpasteurized, thickened milk that is sour-tasting), but if you can't find clabber, buttermilk is a good substitute."
Cous Cous
Borrowed from North African countries, cous cous is a particularly popular starch in the interior of the country. For Senegalese cooking, buy standard small-grained cous cous rather than "pearl." Avoid cous cous that is packaged with flavorings.
Fish
Gray mullet, halibut, sea bass or haddock steaks approximate the Senegalese whitefish called "thiof."
Garlic
Small heads of garlic with tight outer layers guarantee pungency and freshness.
Guedge
Smoked fish used for flavoring certain dishes. Guedge and yete can be very difficult to find outside of West Africa. Substitute heavily smoked fish.
Herbs and Spices
Bay leaves, cayenne, coriander, nutmeg, summer savory, thyme and parsley are typical spices. Fresh is always better. Grinding whole spices yourself ensures optimum flavor.
Hot Sauce and Chile Paste
These are made from the hottest chiles, often the hot habañero, bird and cayenne chiles. If you are not mincing the chiles yourself, look for a thick hot sauce with a base of one of the above chiles.
Millet
A popular grain grown in Senegal. It is prepared like rice and used in everything from stews to desserts. Available in health food markets and specialty stores.
Palm Oil
A red, earthy-tasting oil often used to flavor sauces. If you can't find this at a specialty grocer, there are Internet sites that sell ethnic products. If you are concerned about the high saturated fat content of palm oil, replace it with another oil. Harris suggests using vegetable oil that is made red by sauteéing it with a few bits of achiote or annatto, allowing it to cool before using.
Peanut Oil and Peanuts
Used in marinating and for frying. Fresh and ground roasted and unroasted peanuts are used in Senegal, as well as peanut butter.
Produce
Cabbage, calabaza (a kind of squash), carrots, lemon, lime, okra, onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, yams and yucca (cassava) are typical. Look in specialty stores for the more unusual produce.
Rice
Jessica Harris advises buying long-grain white rice, except for dishes where the rice is stewed, such as in Thiebou Dienn. In these stewed rice dishes, use a short-grain rice.
Yete
Smoked mollusk used for flavoring (see Guedge).
Special kitchen equipment is optional. Your normal kitchenware should do the job adequately.
Mortar and Pestle
For grinding spices.
Tourniere
A hibachi-like grill, about 15 inches in diameter and heated with charcoal. A regular hibachi or charcoal grill is a good substitute. A grill pan also is acceptable. Do not substitute a broiler.
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