This is a quick, easy Sauce Yassa based on the classic Senegalese/Gambian family favourite Yassa. The base is made using onions, mustard and vinegar with added vegetables and seasoning. You can use this sauce Yassa to build a meal around it using a protein of your choice or eat it on its own with a side of steamed rice.
Sauce Yassa most important component are onions, like lots of onions, the more the merrier. You cannot use one onion and call the dish Yassa, more is more in this case. The second most important part is the Dijon mustard, vinegar and the seasoning. There are different variations of Yassa which I will be making soon to give you an overview of this incredible dish.
The caramelised onions provide the base of the sauce creating a mildly sweet sauce balance with the tangy sourness of the Dijon mustard and vinegar. This also helps create a creamy sauce that is vital for the dish. When you first taste this sauce your taste buds will be hit with the sweet/sour notes of the Dijon mustard/vinegar, the heat from the scotch bonnet and seasoning from the black pepper and bay leaves.
The spiciness level of the Yassa is up to you. You can either add more chopped chillies or cook it as a whole. However, back home we love our Yassa to be medium spicy.
If you want to enjoy this dish in all its glory as the locals do you need to eat it with a side of steamed jasmine rice, that's how we eat it. If you enjoy this recipe, try out the Easy Mussels one pot rice recipe and tell me what you think.
Ingredients
- Onions: This is the most important part of the dish, more is more in this case.
- Mixed sweet peppers: This adds a bit of sweetness, balancing the dish's sourness.
- Baby potatoes: They add richness to the dish.
- Carrots: They also add some crunch and sweetness.
- Scotch Bonnet: The scotch bonnet adds this beautiful balance to the dish and heat.
- Garlic: You cannot make Yassa without garlic, it is a key element.
- Dijon mustard: Another important part of this dish is the Dijon mustard, due to the French influence on this dish Dijon mustard is the gold standard.
- Vinegar: The mild acidity of the vinegar helps create that distinct flavour of the Sauce Yassa.
- Rapeseed oil: I used Rapeseed oil because it can be heated to a high temperature when cooking. It is also low in saturated fat and contains omega 3, 6 and 9 which is good for health benefits.
- Bay leaves: This is another core herb in Senegambian cooking, we practically add bay leaves to almost all our dishes. This aromatic herb works very well with warming spices such as scotch bonnet. They balance each other well.
See the recipe card for quantities and the full ingredient list.
Instructions
- Step 1: Add the oil to the pan.
- Step 2: When the oil is hot add the onions.
3. Step 3: Add the chopped garlic and scotch bonnet.
5. Step 5: Now add the Dijon mustard and stir.
7. Step 7: Add the baby potatoes and scotch bonnet, cover and leave to simmer.
4. Step 4: Now add the black pepper and bay leaves, continue to occasionally stir.
6. Step 6: Now add the chopped vegetables, seasoning and water.
8. Step 8: It is now ready to be served.
Hint: You can boil or steam the baby potatoes separately then add them to the dish.
Storage
The sauce can be stored in a tight container and frozen for two weeks or stored in the fridge for a week. However, remember that freshly cooked food is unbeatable.
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Pairing
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Recipe
Sauce Yassa
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This is a quick, easy Sauce Yassa based on the classic Senegalese/Gambian family favourite Yassa. The base is made using onions, mustard and vinegar with added vegetables and seasoning.
Ingredients
- 240ml Rapeseed oil
- 6 medium onions cut into strips
- 3 Scotch Bonnet (one mince & the two cooked in as whole) (Optional)
- 5 Garlic cloves
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- half a teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of knorr (Aromat) or jumbo, Maggi
- 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- 30 ml of vinegar ( ⅛ cup)
- 600ml of water
- 6 baby potatoes cut in halves
- 4 carrots dice into small cubes ( to cut brunoise)
- Half a yellow sweet pepper dice into small cubes
- Half a red sweet pepper dice into small cubes
- Half a green sweet pepper dice into small cubes.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the onions and saute until it is translucent, now add the garlic, chill and continue to saute until it begins to caramelise.
- Now add the black pepper, white pepper and bay leaves, and continue to stir. Now add the Dijon mustard, vinegar, and water. Add the knorr and salt, stir and taste.
- Add the remaining vegetables ( Diced sweet pepper, Baby potatoes and scotch bonnet) into the pot, cover and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes on medium to low heat.
- Continue to stir the sauce intermittently to gently scrape any caramelised sauce at the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook the vegetables until the potatoes are cooked and you have a creamy sauce.
- When the potatoes are fully cooked, most of the water has evaporated and the oil is floating on top of the sauce, the sauce is ready. Serve with freshly steamed Jasmin rice.
Notes
You can boil the baby potatoes separately and then add them to the sauce at the end, 10 minutes before your sauce is done.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main meal
- Method: Saute & Reduction
- Cuisine: African (Senegalese / Gambian
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