Cauliflower yassa with olives
Cauliflower yassa with olives
Cauliflower yassa with olives
Prep 15 min
Rest 1 hr
Cook 35 min
Serves 4

You may have already heard of yassa, a traditional Senegalese dish made with chicken or fish. Yassa is a staple of west African cuisines. This is my vegan version using cauliflower. Its dense texture makes it a lovely substitute for chicken. Serve with white rice.

Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
Salt
Black pepper
1 large cauliflower, chopped
6 medium onions, thinly sliced
½ cup (65g) green olives, pitted
3 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 tbsp coconut sugar
2 bay leaves

1 Mix the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower, onions and olives, and toss to coat. Marinate for at least an hour (or overnight in the refrigerator).
2 Remove the cauliflower from the bowl and set aside.
3 Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and marinade mixture and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley, sugar and bay leaves and mix well. Add 3 tbsp water, cover and simmer until the onions have softened, for 10 to 15 minutes.
4 Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook until tender and golden brown, 15 minutes.
5 Stir the cauliflower into the onion mixture. Adjust the seasoning to taste and enjoy while hot.

Recipe from Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal by Marie Kacouchia © Éditions La Plage, 2021. Translation © The Experiment, 2022. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.