Muqmad

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kglean camel or beef, cut in 1.5 cm cubes
• 2 tspsalt

To fry and store

• 400 gghee or clarified butter
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground cardamom
• ½ tspground black pepper
• 1 tspsalt

To serve

• canjeero or flatbread
• sweet black tea

Directions

1. Trim every scrap of fat and sinew from the meat and cut it into even small cubes. Fat left on will go rancid in storage and spoil the whole jar, however well the rest is done.
2. Toss the cubes with the 2 teaspoons of salt and spread them in a single layer on a rack. Dry them in strong sun for two to three days, bringing them in at night, or in an oven at 70°C (158°F) with the door propped ajar for six to eight hours.
3. They are ready when they are hard, dark and rattle on the rack — no give at all when squeezed. Anything still soft in the middle will spoil under the ghee.
4. Melt the ghee in a heavy pan and fry the dried cubes over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often, until they are deep brown and any remaining moisture has gone. The bubbling will slow and quieten as the water leaves; that is the signal.
5. Stir in the cumin, cardamom, pepper and remaining salt and cook two minutes more.
6. Pack the hot cubes into a clean dry jar and pour over the hot ghee until they are completely submerged with a 1 cm layer on top. Tap the jar to release trapped air.
7. Cool, seal and keep somewhere cool and dark. Traditionally it keeps for months this way; in a modern kitchen, keep it refrigerated and use it within a month.
8. Lift out a spoonful with a clean dry spoon and eat with canjeero and sweet tea.

Technique

• Dry it until it is genuinely hard. This is the step that decides whether the jar keeps, and a cube that is still soft inside is a cube that will spoil under the fat.
• Trim all the fat before drying. Rendered fat from the ghee is the preservative; the meat’s own fat is what goes rancid.
• Use a clean dry spoon every time and keep the surface covered by fat. Introducing water or crumbs is how a good jar goes bad.

Substitutions

• Goat or lamb, both of which are used across the Horn.
• A dehydrator on its highest setting in place of sun.

Variations

• Some households add a little berbere or dried chilli with the spices.
• Shredded rather than cubed, which gives a finer texture for eating with canjeero.

History

Nomad travel food: submerging the dried cubes in clarified butter seals out air, keeping the meat edible for months without cooling.

Frequently asked questions

What is Muqmad?

Muqmad is a charcuterie & cured from Djibouti: cubes of camel or beef dried hard, fried and stored submerged in ghee. Nomad travel food: submerging the dried cubes in clarified butter seals out air, keeping the meat edible for months without cooling.

How long does Muqmad take to make?

Muqmad takes 30 min plus 2 to 3 days drying of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 500 g. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Muqmad?

Yes, within limits. Goat or lamb, both of which are used across the Horn. A dehydrator on its highest setting in place of sun.

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

Trim every scrap of fat and sinew from the meat and cut it into even small cubes. Fat left on will go rancid in storage and spoil the whole jar, however well the rest is done.