Maraq Digaag: How to make chicken soup the Somali way

This aromatic and revitalising soup is the lesser-known sibling of maraqari, a traditional Somali goat soup beloved for both its nutritious and healing properties.

Maraq Digaag is a delicious Somali chicken stew that brings together tender chicken, potatoes, carrots, and a mix of spices like cumin and turmeric.

This soup is thick and filling, thanks to the addition of potatoes, and has small hints of heat due to the jalapeño, plus the layered flavours of the xawaash spice blend.

Xawaash is a fragrant, flavorful mix of spices that usually includes cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and sometimes chilli.

The good thing is you can eat the soup as it is, with bread, Somali-style bread like canjeero, naan, chapati or with the noodles of your choice, mixed in.

The fresh chilli invigorates this comforting soup, but the heat level is entirely up to you; you can remove the jalapeno early for a milder soup or keep it throughout, spicing up the broth for as long as you would like.

Ingredients

1.5/ 1kg of chicken drumsticks, thighs and breast

4 cloves of garlic

2 medium-sized red onions

1 medium-sized green bell pepper

3 medium-sized tomatoes

1 large-sized potato diced

2 medium-sized carrots, sliced and diced

3-4 cups of water for a stew consistency

½ Cup of coriander leaves (dhania)

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

Salt

1-2 tablespoons of xawaash spice, adjust to taste

Vegetable oil or Ghee

Jalepeno or chilli, depending on the level of spice

Steps to follow

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Into a food processor or blender, blend tomatoes, coriander leaves, red onion, garlic, (chilli or jalapeño) and bell pepper into a puree and then set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a cooking pot or sufuria and then add your chicken. Stir for 5 minutes, until it is coated with a little bit of oil.

Add the Xawash spices mix into the chicken and give it a quick stir over medium heat. Brown your chicken.

Add in your potatoes, carrots and salt into the mixture and cover, reduce the heat and allow them to cook.

Now, take your blended puree and combine it with the chicken and potatoes, gently mixing. Cover for 5 minutes.

Pour 3-4 cups of water into the pot, stirring gently, to avoid sticking at the bottom of the sufuria. Once boiling, adjust to low heat and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.

After 15 minutes of simmering, add tomato paste to a bowl, and scoop some of the soup into the sufuria and give it a quick stir.

Let the stew simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Serve the Maraq Digaag with rice, chapati, or bread and enjoy!