Mali | Stew

Djabadji

Name: Djabadji
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Mali, West Africa
Ingredients: 800 g beef or chicken, cut up; 5 large onions, sliced; 3 medium tomatoes, blended; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 whole hot pepper; ¼ cup oil; 3 cups water or stock; salt and black pepper, to taste

Malian onion-rich red sauce with meat, tomato, garlic, and chile, served over rice or with toh.

Country

Mali

Region

West Africa

Time

90 min

Serves

Level

medium

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01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Stew

Protein

800 g beef or chicken, cut up

Sauce

5 large onions, sliced 3 medium tomatoes, blended 2 tbsp tomato paste 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 whole hot pepper

Fat

¼ cup oil

Liquid

3 cups water or stock

Finishing

salt and black pepper, to taste

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Mali

4 steps 20 min prep 70 min cook (check method) 90 min total medium

Brown protein

Season and brown the meat or chicken in oil.

brown 10:00

Cook onions

Add onions and cook until soft, sweet, and reduced.

onions 20:00

Simmer sauce

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, pepper, and stock. Simmer until protein is tender.

simmer 35:00

Finish

Adjust salt and serve over rice or with toh.

finish 03:00

Some versions use beef, some chicken, and some add vegetables like carrot, cabbage, or eggplant.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for rice bowls, family lunch, and sauce rotation.. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 90 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

White rice, fonio, toh, or boiled plantain.

Regional lane

Mali national table. A structured Mali dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Djabadji recipe from Mali — Djabadji finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Djabadji

White rice, fonio, toh, or boiled plantain.

Best route from here

Mali national table

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