Somali camel stew recipe?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kiwanda in Minnesota said:

Note: I've searched the web and have seen the silly "how to stuff a
camel" recipe a hundred times. I'm seriously in search of _real_
recipes for camel meat-- I'm going to buy some for the weekend, recipe
or not. If you have a recipe please post it here.

I don't have a recipe (in fact, I'd like to know the name of the
store. It would be worth the trip from St. Paul). But I would ask
the folks at the store how _they_ prepare it. If that's not
successful, I probably would think about pressure-cooking it or
using it like beef in a stew.

sd

"sd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kiwanda in Minnesota said:

Note: I've searched the web and have seen the silly "how to stuff a
camel" recipe a hundred times. I'm seriously in search of _real_
recipes for camel meat-- I'm going to buy some for the weekend, recipe
or not. If you have a recipe please post it here.

I don't have a recipe (in fact, I'd like to know the name of the
store. It would be worth the trip from St. Paul). But I would ask
the folks at the store how _they_ prepare it. If that's not
successful, I probably would think about pressure-cooking it or
using it like beef in a stew.

My friend here at work, Abdul, eats camel meat maybe a few times a year when
he goes to visit Saudi, but he's useless as a cook (although he tells me he
has learned how to pour milk onto his own cornflakes now his mother has
passed away), so no recipes. However, he said he found it salty (could be
innately so, could have been the prep. for all we know), very tasty (he
loves it), often cooked in spiced stews etc. but his favourite is where it
is just roasted over an open fire in big pieces. I asked him to smuggle some
back here for me but he sharply declined with a look of terror on his face,
for some strange reason...

Shaun aRe - Good luck, and remember to post here how you end up preparing
this, please? ',;~}~

"sd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kiwanda in Minnesota said:

Note: I've searched the web and have seen the silly "how to stuff a
camel" recipe a hundred times. I'm seriously in search of _real_
recipes for camel meat-- I'm going to buy some for the weekend, recipe
or not. If you have a recipe please post it here.

I don't have a recipe (in fact, I'd like to know the name of the
store. It would be worth the trip from St. Paul). But I would ask
the folks at the store how _they_ prepare it. If that's not
successful, I probably would think about pressure-cooking it or
using it like beef in a stew.

My friend here at work, Abdul, eats camel meat maybe a few times a year when
he goes to visit Saudi, but he's useless as a cook (although he tells me he
has learned how to pour milk onto his own cornflakes now his mother has
passed away), so no recipes. However, he said he found it salty (could be
innately so, could have been the prep. for all we know), very tasty (he
loves it), often cooked in spiced stews etc. but his favourite is where it
is just roasted over an open fire in big pieces. I asked him to smuggle some
back here for me but he sharply declined with a look of terror on his face,
for some strange reason...

Shaun aRe - Good luck, and remember to post here how you end up preparing
this, please? ',;~}~

"sd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kiwanda in Minnesota said:

Note: I've searched the web and have seen the silly "how to stuff a
camel" recipe a hundred times. I'm seriously in search of _real_
recipes for camel meat-- I'm going to buy some for the weekend, recipe
or not. If you have a recipe please post it here.

I don't have a recipe (in fact, I'd like to know the name of the
store. It would be worth the trip from St. Paul). But I would ask
the folks at the store how _they_ prepare it. If that's not
successful, I probably would think about pressure-cooking it or
using it like beef in a stew.

My friend here at work, Abdul, eats camel meat maybe a few times a year when
he goes to visit Saudi, but he's useless as a cook (although he tells me he
has learned how to pour milk onto his own cornflakes now his mother has
passed away), so no recipes. However, he said he found it salty (could be
innately so, could have been the prep. for all we know), very tasty (he
loves it), often cooked in spiced stews etc. but his favourite is where it
is just roasted over an open fire in big pieces. I asked him to smuggle some
back here for me but he sharply declined with a look of terror on his face,
for some strange reason...

Shaun aRe - Good luck, and remember to post here how you end up preparing
this, please? ',;~}~

Kiwanda in Minnesota said:

A new Somali halal grocery has opened in town and they have camel
meat-- stew meat for the most part. I'm eager to try some but cannot
find a recipe for anything I'd consider a Somali or even African stew
using that calls for camel.

Here are some links with recipes for Maraq (or Marak), a Somali camel
stew. The first one is copied below; it looks like a fairly
conventional meat stew recipe to me...

<http://asiafind.com/blog/330/post_9941.html?dcb=asiafind>
<http://www.wine-lovers-page.com/food/marak.shtml>
<http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=63516>

Victor

Maraq

Total cooking time is about 120 minutes.

2 pounds of boneless camel meat (you can use ostrich or beef) cut into
1-inch cubes.
Chop 1 large onion.
Dice 1 cup of fresh tomatoes.
Add a little oil to the bottom of a large cast-iron pot and turn the
heat on high.
Sautee the onions until they are soft.
Add the camel meat and brown.
Add chopped tomatoes.
Cook for an additional 15 minutes at medium heat, and make sure you
occasionally stir the meat.

Prepare the following items:
Peel 4 carrots and cut into 1-inch lengths.
Chop 1 large green pepper (2 if you like pepper).
Mix a 4 oz can of tomato paste with 1 cup of water.
Chop 3 large cloves of garlic.
1 tablespoon of salt.
1 tablespoon of cumin.
Add items to the simmering stew, cover, and reduce heat to low.

About 60 minutes later add the following items:
2 large potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes (don't peel).
Peel, seed, and cube a small squash.
Add a 1/2-cup of water.
Continue cooking over low heat for another 45 minutes.

Do not forget to stir occasionally and add additional water if you feel
the stew is getting too thick.

It is best to let each guest add cayenne pepper or dried red-pepper
flakes to taste.

Serve with a steamed grain such as rice/barley and/or with flat bread.

I recommend a dry, tannic red wine to go with this dish such as:
Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots; Rhones or Syrah/Shiraz; and
Northern Italian reds from Piemonte (Barolo, Barbaresco) to Tuscany
(Chianti, Brunello).

sd said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Kiwanda in Minnesota said:

Note: I've searched the web and have seen the silly "how to stuff a
camel" recipe a hundred times. I'm seriously in search of _real_
recipes for camel meat-- I'm going to buy some for the weekend, recipe
or not. If you have a recipe please post it here.

I don't have a recipe (in fact, I'd like to know the name of the
store. It would be worth the trip from St. Paul). But I would ask
the folks at the store how _they_ prepare it. If that's not
successful, I probably would think about pressure-cooking it or
using it like beef in a stew.

The problem is that this grocery is actually just the back wall of a
convenience store-- coolers --and the store is always staffed by
middle-aged white women who apparently have no idea what's sold in the
back of the store. I first went in looking for goat meat (there was a
hand printed sign outside saying "goat meat and other African foods"😉
but when I asked she just said "whatever we have is back there
somewhere." None to helpful.

Pressure cooking is a good idea. The big question for me is seasoning
though...I'd like to make something approximating an "authentic" dish
but have no idea what that would be. I'll have to ask some of the
Somali folks in town, but I understand the men don't cook and I've
never really met any of the Somali women in the area.

If/when I give it a try I'll report back here. Thanks for the ideas!

-kiwanda