Thiéré Bassi Salté (Couscous with Meat and Tomato Sauce)
Thiéré Bassi Salté (Couscous with Meat and Tomato Sauce) is a traditional Senegalese recipe for a classic dish of couscous served with chicken, beef, raisins, white beans, carrots and sweet potatoes in a lightly-spiced tomato sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Senegalese version of: Couscous with Meat and Tomato Sauce (Thiéré Bassi Salté).
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Also known as Thiéré Tamkharite, this is the classic Senegalese method of preparing and presenting couscous as a main dish where it's served with meat and a tomato and vegetable sauce. Typically millet couscous is used, though you can substitute ordinary semolina couscous too. This also works well with the small-grain millet, fonio.
Ingredients:
1 chicken
1 Kg of beef
200ml of oil
4 onions
1/4 of green bell pepper, cut into strips
300g tomato purée
salt
chilli powder
black pepper
3 stock cubes
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1kg couscous (or fonio)
10g butter
50g raisins
50g white beans
100g minced (ground) meat
4 sugar cubes
3 carrots, peeled
3 sweet potatoes, cut into 3 rounds each
2 bay leaves
Method:
Preparation of the chicken: Begin by preparing a little stuffing for the chicken. In a mortar, pound together 3 garlic cloves with 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 stock cube.
Cut the chicken into serving-sized pieces then make a hole in each piece and put some of the stuffing mixture inside.
Heat the oil in a pot and when hot use to fry the chicken until nicely browned and cooked through (about 15 minutes). Remove with tongs and set aside.
To prepare the meatballs: Mix 2 minced garlic cloves with the minced meat, a generous pinch of hot chilli, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 stock cube and a teaspoon of flour. Mix well to combine then shape into small meatballs. Drop these into the oil used to fry the chicken until golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
To prepare the sauce: Cut the beef into pieces, add to the oil and brown for 7 mins. Now add 2 of the chopped onions and fry for 4 minutes.
Put the tomato purée in a bowl. Dilute with 200ml (4/5 cup) warm water. Stir well until smooth then add to the meat. Mix well and cook for 7 minutes, stirring regularly. The tomato should turn a dark red.
Pour in 1.5l (6 cups) water then add the carrots and sweet potatoes along with the remaining minced garlic, the final stock cube, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, the bay leaves and the remaining onions. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat.
Remove the carrots and sweet potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the two sugar cubes then put the fried chicken in the liquid. Cover and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes more. The oil should separate and rise to the surface.
In the meantime, prepare the couscous. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then sit a couscousier on top. Dissolve 2 sugar cubes in 100ml water and use this to moisten the couscous. Spread the mixture over the couscousier, cover and cook for 10 minutes. If the couscous is still hard cook for a further 5 minutes. Repeat this until the couscous is soft.
Fluff with a fork and mix in 5 tbsp of the red-coloured oil from the top of the sauce. Add the meatballs, white beans, butter and raisins to the couscous, mixing thoroughly to combine.
Transfer the couscous to a serving dish, top with the chicken, meat and vegetables. Ladle over plenty of the sauce and serve.
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