North Africa · Main
Dama bi Lahm (Cardamom-Spiced Tomato Beef Ragout)
A rich, slow-simmered Sudanese beef stew layered with slow-caramelised onions, deep tomato essence, and aromatic green cardamom.
The story
Dama bi Lahm represents the pinnacle of urban Sudanese home cooking, traditionally prepared for Friday family gatherings and festive communal banquets across Khartoum and Omdurman. The backbone of the stew relies on 'tasbeeka'—a culinary technique where finely grated onions and tomato paste are fried down until the vegetable paste separates from the oil, known locally as the oil breaking out. It is customarily spooned lavishly over thick, spongy gurrasa flatbreads, allowing the fermented dough to soak up every drop of the spiced red jus.
Cook this next
Agashe (Spiced Skewered Grilled Meat)
Wafer-thin beef fillets dredged in spiced roasted peanut flour and flash-grilled over glowing charcoal embers.
Aradeib (Tangy Sweet Spiced Tamarind Cooler)
A vibrant, tart-sweet amber cooler infused with crushed pods, warm ground cinnamon, and delicate orange blossom water.
Asida (Fermented Sorghum or Millet Dumpling Porridge)
A smooth, dome-shaped fermented grain pudding that serves as the hearty centerpiece for traditional Sudanese stews.
Balah bil Laban (Warm Milk-Poached Dried Desert Dates)
Tender desert dates gently poached in fragrant spiced milk, creating a comforting, naturally rich Nubian dessert.