Ingredients
Oil
- 500 mlred palm oil
Aromatics
- 2onions, sliced
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 3cm ginger, sliced
- 2hot chillies, split
- 1 tablespoonground dried shrimp or crayfish, optional
Sometimes added
- a few cloves
- a piece of dried fish
- 1 teaspoonground selim pepper
Equipment
- a heavy pot
- a fine sieve
- a clean jar with a lid
Directions
- Keep the heat moderate throughout. Preparing the aromatics takes a few minutes. Slice the onions fairly thickly. Thick slices are easier to strain out later.
- Crush the garlic and slice the ginger. Put the palm oil in a heavy pot. Set it over a low to medium heat. Let it melt and warm through gently. It should shimmer but never smoke. Add the sliced onions to the oil. Cook them slowly for about ten minutes.
- Stir them occasionally as they soften. They should turn golden and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies. Add the ground dried shrimp if you are using it.
- Cook everything together for eight minutes. Stir it occasionally as it cooks. The oil takes on the aroma of everything in it.
- Take it off the heat at that point. Let it cool for fifteen minutes. Pour the oil through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press the solids gently with a spoon.
- Discard the onion, garlic and spices. Some cooks keep the fried onion for other dishes. Strain it a second time for a clearer oil. Let it cool completely before bottling. Pour it into a clean dry glass jar.
- Seal it and keep it somewhere cool and dark. It keeps for about a month or so. Use a clean dry spoon every time. Spoon it into a pot as the base of a sauce. Stir a spoonful into rice as it finishes cooking. Use it sparingly, since it is strongly flavoured.
Technique
- Zomi is a prepared cooking oil rather than a dish, and having a jar ready is a normal part of running a kitchen in the region.
- It should not be confused with the unrelated Zomi peoples of northeast India and Myanmar, whose name is spelled the same way.
Substitutions
- There is no true substitute for red palm oil, since its colour and flavour define the product.
- A mixture of neutral oil with a little paprika gives colour but none of the flavour.
Variations
- Some cooks add dried fish or crayfish for a stronger savoury note.
- A version with more chilli is used for hotter dishes.
- Adding cloves or selim pepper gives a more aromatic oil.
Frequently asked questions
What is Zomi?
Zomi is a sauce & condiment from Benin: red palm oil heated with onion and spices into a fragrant cooking oil.
How long does Zomi take to make?
Zomi takes 10 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 400 ml. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Zomi?
Yes, within limits. There is no true substitute for red palm oil, since its colour and flavour define the product. A mixture of neutral oil with a little paprika gives colour but none of the flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Zomi?
Crush the garlic and slice the ginger. Put the palm oil in a heavy pot. Set it over a low to medium heat. Let it melt and warm through gently. It should shimmer but never smoke. Add the sliced onions to the oil. Cook them slowly for about ten minutes.
