Un Séjour au Sénégal

This summer I spent three month studying abroad in Senegal. In addition to studying history, culture, and language, I spent a large amount of time researching Senegalese cuisine for my independent project. I wanted to include a few of the recipes that I collected during this research. My favorite dish was Yasse (pronounced yah-sah), an onion sauce with chicken or fish, served on white rice. It is one of the easiest dishes to prepare but tastes delicious! Cebbu Jën is the national dish of Senegal and although it is a bit more complicated that Yasse, it is the most common dish to prepare for lunch. 
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Yasse 
5-6 onions 
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup mustard
Chicken, fish, or other meat

Cut onions in long pieces or dices. Marinade onions and meat with garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar, and mustard. Remove meat or fish. Heat the onion marinade in a large frying pan until onions become tender and brown. Use water to steam while onions are cooking but make sure to cook off most of the water.  Cook meat or fish separately with a frying pan or grill. Serve together over white rice. 
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Cebbu Jën
4 onions, diced
5 garlic cloves, chopped 
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 bouillon cubes
1/4 cup tomato concentrate mixed with water
1-2 cups oil 
Vegetables (1-2 of each: carrot, cabbage, potato, manioc, eggplant)
Fish*

*Fish can be substituted for chicken or other meat if desired. Jën is Wolof for "fish" so by substituting meat, the dish becomes Cebbu yap ("meat") or Cebbu guinnar ("chicken").


Note: measurements are approximate - cooking in Senegal depends on experience and tasting to achieve the desired proportions. Feel free to add seasoning or other ingredients as needed.