Dibi

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.5 kgmutton or lamb, on the bone, in large pieces
• or goat

Marinade

• 2onions, grated
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 2 tbspmustard
• 1stock cube
• 1 tbspblack pepper
• 1 tspground ginger
• 3 tbspoil
• salt

Onion sauce

• 4large onions, sliced
• 3 tbspmustard
• 2 tbspvinegar or lemon juice
• 1stock cube
• black pepper
• 2 tbspoil

To serve

• raw onion rings
• kaani, chilli sauce
• bread or chips
• wrapped in paper

Equipment

• a wood or charcoal fire

Directions

1. Use pieces on the bone, since bones give flavour and keep the meat moist over a long grilling. Do not trim the fat off the meat.
2. Marinate for two hours or more. An ordinary smooth Dijon-style mustard is what is used. Let the wood burn down to embers with no flames. Keep the meat a good distance above the coals.
3. Grill the large pieces slowly, turning them regularly, for thirty to forty-five minutes. Turn them often, which gives an even crust and lets the fat render evenly. Now judging when the meat is done.
4. Cut into the thickest part near the bone: there should be no raw meat left. Mutton and goat are eaten well done here rather than pink, and that is the correct result. Chop the grilled meat on a block into rough bite-sized pieces, bone and all. It is chopped in front of the customer so it goes out hot.
5. Cook the sliced onions slowly in oil until completely soft and golden, which takes twenty minutes. Cook them properly rather than briefly, since they should dissolve into a sweet mass.
6. Add mustard, vinegar and a stock cube and cook for a few minutes more. It should be sharp, mustardy and sweet from the onions all at once.
7. Pile the chopped meat on paper, spoon the onion sauce over, and add raw onion rings on top. It is genuinely hot and it is added according to nerve. Serve it on paper with bread or chips.

Technique

• Dibiteries grill over wood, and the smoke is a genuine part of the flavour.
• Mustard and onion are the backbone of the seasoning, as in yassa.
• The meat is chopped to order on a block, bone and all.

Substitutions

• Lamb or goat in place of mutton.
• Charcoal with wood chips if you cannot cook over wood.

Variations

• Made with chicken, as dibi poulet.
• Served with chips rather than bread.
• Made with more mustard in the onion sauce.

History

Grilled mutton or lamb, seasoned simply with onion, mustard and pepper, roasted over an open charcoal fire and traditionally served with raw onion and a mustard-based sauce, developed in Senegal as a popular evening street food, particularly associated with Dakar, the country’s capital and largest city, where dedicated dibiterie stalls specializing in the grilled meat became a fixture of urban Senegalese nightlife and social eating from the mid-1900s onward. Its emphasis on simple seasoning that lets the quality of the meat itself remain the clear focus, rather than a heavily spiced marinade, distinguishes dibi somewhat from some other West African grilled meat traditions built around more elaborate spice pastes. It remains closely tied to Senegalese urban social life, often eaten late at night among friends after socializing.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dibi?

Dibi is a street food from Senegal: seasoned mutton grilled over coals with onions and mustard, wrapped in paper. Grilled mutton or lamb, seasoned simply with onion, mustard and pepper, roasted over an open charcoal fire and traditionally served with raw onion and a mustard-based sauce, developed in Senegal as a popular evening street food, particularly associated with Dakar, the country’s capital and largest city, where dedicated dibiterie stalls specializing in the grilled meat became a fixture of urban Senegalese nightlife and social eating from the mid-1900s onward. Its emphasis on simple seasoning that lets the quality of the meat itself remain the clear focus, rather than a heavily spiced marinade, distinguishes dibi somewhat from some other West African grilled meat traditions built around more elaborate spice pastes. It remains closely tied to Senegalese urban social life, often eaten late at night among friends after socializing.

How long does Dibi take to make?

Dibi takes 20 min plus 2 hr marinating of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Dibi?

Yes, within limits. Lamb or goat in place of mutton. Charcoal with wood chips if you cannot cook over wood.

What is the most important thing to get right in Dibi?

Use pieces on the bone, since bones give flavour and keep the meat moist over a long grilling. Do not trim the fat off the meat.