African

This rich, flavorful Nigerian dish brings together bold chile heat, the pleasant funk of fermented locust beans and dried shrimp, and a good dose of Old Bay.

Nigerian peppersoup should be fiery hot with rich flavor—while the traditional spices can be hard to find in the U.S., this recipe approximates the taste with a few more readily available substitutes.

Seasoned with a spice mix of ground peanuts, cayenne, and ginger, these skewers are most often served with shaved onions and sliced tomato, here a tomato-cream dipping sauce quells the fiery heat.

Egusi seeds—the large seeds of an African melon—are toasted and ground to thicken this popular Nirgerian stew.

This fragrant, hearty stew is traditionally cooked in an earthenware dish on the stove-top, but a slow cooker does the job almost as well.

This spicy Ethiopian dipping sauce is made from whisking berbere spice blend honey wine, beer, arak, or even just a mixture of water and honey.

Sharbats are sweet boiled fruit syrups served across Central Asia and Northern Africa, though flavor combinations vary widely. This one is infused with bright, floral, citrusy cardamom that complements the lemon perfectly.

This dish is my mother's interpretation of a meal we had at a friend’s birthday party when we were young. We came home raving about it and had to try making it for ourselves!

Millet, a wonderfully healthy, naturally gluten-free grain, stands in for the more common bulgur wheat in the North African–inspired parsley salad in this simple baked chicken dish.

This isn’t the thick harissa that resembles a paste. Treat it like your favorite barbecue sauce and smother grilled steak and chicken with it.

This classic Somali stew is great for a crowd and packs a big flavor punch, thanks to the xawaash spice mix, a classic Somali spice blend, which lends a warm, peppery flavor.

Giving the tomatillo some time to drain and cool after it’s been grilled makes for a creamier and more flavorful sauce. Serve alongside grilled bone-in rib eye.

This irresistibly smoky-spicy condiment lasts for a month and perks up everything from scrambled eggs to lamb chops.

Make a big batch of these spicy herbed meatballs and stash them in your freezer. That way, you’ll always have the building blocks for an easy weeknight dinner on hand.

This comforting vegetarian chickpea and lentil soup features warming spices and a hit of lemon juice.