Africa: Mauritania: Mauritanian Stuffed Chicken Burger with Spicy Tomato & Okra

Africa: Mauritania: Mauritinian Stuffed Chicken Burger served on a Rice Cake with a Spicy Tomato and Okra Topping.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE STUFFING:

1 Small onion cut in quarters

1 Large clove of garlic

1/2 Red bell pepper cut in large chunks

1/2 Green bell pepper cut in large chunks

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon Black pepper

2 teaspoons Peanut oil

1/2 Habanero pepper – seeds removed & cut in half (more if you like more spice)

FOR THE SPICY TOMATO AND OKRA TOPPING:

4 Tomatoes chopped

1/2 Red pepper chopped

1/2 Green pepper chopped

1 Small onion chopped

8 Okra sliced

1/2 Habanero pepper sliced

1 Chicken bullion cube (you can use Maggi brand)

1 Tablespoon Peanut oil

FOR THE RICE CAKES:

1 Cup Long grained white rice

1/3 Cup Tapioca flour

Peanut oil

FOR THE BURGER:

1 3/4 lb Chick thighs (skinless, boneless)

4 teaspoons Netetou (dried locus beans) – also called dawadawa or sumbala, available online or at specialty markets

Peanut oil

Stuffing Mixture from above

Spicy Tomato & Okra Sauce from above

Fresh Parsley Chopped optional garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOR THE STUFFING:

Place all ingredients except oil and habanero pepper in food processor. Pulse until everything is chopped fine.

Heat oil in non-stick pan.

Add stuffing mixture and habanero pepper to oil and saute over medium high heat until liquid is evaporated, stirring regularly.

Remove habanero pepper pieces from stuffing.

Set aside to cool

FOR THE TOMATO AND OKRA TOPPING:

Using the same pan from the stuffing, heat oil over medium high heat.

Add onion and cook until slightly soft (2-4 minutes). Then add red and green peppers and cook until onions begin to brown (5-7 minutes).

Add okra and habanero and cook until okra its slightly browned. Note: habanero can be left in the sauce until the end, or removed at any time – the longer you leave it in, the spicier the sauce will be.

Add tomatoes and bouillon cube. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for one hour, then remove cover and simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

FOR THE RICE CAKES:

While the sauce is simmering, Cook rice using standard cooking instructions, cool enough that you won’t burn your hands while handling. Add tapioca flour and mix together using your hands. Form four burger sized patties with the mixture.

Add peanut oil 1/8″ deep coating to nonstick pan. Heat over high heat until shimmering. Add the rice cakes and fry until lightly browned, turn and cook other side. Remove from oil and keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR THE MAURITANIA BURGER:

Cut chicken into chunks and grind using large grind (you can use ground chicken from the grocery store, but it doesn’t have as good a flavor as the home grind. You can get a meat grinder attachment for Kitchen Aide mixer for as low as $35).

Divide Chicken into 8 portions. Take four portions and flatten out then add 1/4 of the stuffing to each.

Use the remaining 4 portions of chicken to seal the stuffing in the burger. Then season each patty generously on both sides with Netetou. (use a thin pancake turner to flip the burgers for seasoning, if any stuffing peeks out, just tuck it back in and seal with chicken.

Heat oil in non stick pan. Cook the burgers over medium high heat until chicken is cooked through (a quick read thermometer is helpful when cooking chicken this way). Do not press down on burgers as they are cooking or the stuffing will escape!

Plate with Rice Cake on bottom, then burger patty and top with tomato & okra sauce. Garnish with some fresh parsley for a touch of added color. Pairs great with a light summery white wine – Pinot Gris from Alsace is a favorite in our house.

Serve the chicken burger on a rice cake with a spicy tomato an okra topping.

NOTE:

This recipe can be made using a meaty fish like Tilapia, but you’ll need to add a binding agent to the fish, or just deal with it breaking up a bit. This is a fork and knife burger whether made with chicken or fish.

The stuffing, and sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. The rice can be made ahead of time and left at room temp. When you’re ready to cook just heat the sauce a bit while you’re making the rice cakes and burger patties.