Alabadja

Alabadja is a culinary specialty of Mali. It is a mixture of minced meat and rice boiled in a butter sauce.

This dish is traditionally eaten during festivals such as Eid. The meat of the animals was sacrificed during the festival, then used to make this flavorful dish.

Ingredients:

• beef
• butter
• onion chopped fine
• garlic chopped fine
• reen pepper chopped fine
• A heaping tablespoon of Fakoye spice blend
• dried dates
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup of rice

Directions:

• Beef needs to be tender. In Mali, they pound with a mortar and pestle. Then it is put in a pot with a good amount of butter. After the beef is golden brown, add the onion, garlic, and green pepper (adjust the amount as you like). Then cook for about 5 minutes, add fakoye seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook a little longer.
• Then you add the dried dates, but the trick is to mix the dried dates with water. The water will reconstitute the date juice, and the water will become flavorful. The amount of water depends on the type of rice you will be cooking. Most rice comes standard with 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice, but you can make it with less water due to the other ingredients.
• Add the dates and water to the pot and stir a little before adding the rice. Add the rice and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender and absorbs all the water. Let cool for a few minutes, and then serve up a delicious alabadja!