Digaag Qumbe — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Bone-in chicken pieces simmered in a creamy coconut milk sauce with garlic, cumin, and green chili. This rich, aromatic dish brings coastal East African flavors to the Djiboutian table.

Ingredients

1kg chicken pieces, bone-in
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
400ml coconut milk
2 tomatoes, diced
1 green chili, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro

Instructions

1 Season chicken pieces with cumin, turmeric, coriander, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a large pan and sear chicken for four minutes per side until golden. Remove and set aside.
2 In the same pan, saute diced onion for five minutes until softened. Add garlic and green chili, cooking for one minute until fragrant.
3 Add diced tomatoes and cook for four minutes until they break down into a sauce.
4 Pour in the coconut milk and stir well. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling pieces into the sauce.
5 Cover and simmer on low heat for twenty-five minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened to a creamy consistency.
6 Squeeze lime juice over the dish, garnish with cilantro, and serve with steamed rice or laxoox.

Did You Know?

Coconut milk arrived in Djiboutian cuisine through trade with the Swahili coast, and qumbe dishes are considered some of the most flavorful in the country.