Djibouti | Main dish

Skoudehkaris

Name: Skoudehkaris
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Djibouti, East Africa
Ingredients: 3 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes; 600 g lamb shoulder, cubed; 2 whole onions, sliced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 3 medium tomatoes, chopped; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 6 whole cardamom pods; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 stick cinnamon; ½ tsp turmeric; ½ tsp chile powder or cayenne; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 cups water or light stock; ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped; salt and black pepper, to taste

Djibouti's national dish — spiced rice with lamb, caramelized onions, cardamom, and cumin, a one-pot feast.

Country

Djibouti

Region

East Africa

Time

80 min

Serves

Level

medium

Start cooking Explore Djibouti recipes

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

Main dish

A few kitchen essentials

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

Lidded pot

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

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

Back to Djibouti

5 steps 20 min prep 60 min cook (check method) 80 min total medium

Brown the lamb

Season lamb with salt and black pepper. Brown it in hot oil until the edges take color.

Brown 10:00

Cook the tomato base

Add onions and cook until soft. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and chile.

Tomato base 12:00

Simmer the meat

Add water or stock, cover, and simmer until the lamb is almost tender.

Simmer 30:00

Steam the rice

Add drained rice to the pot. Cover tightly and cook on low until the rice absorbs the broth.

Rice 20:00

Rest and finish

Rest covered, fluff gently, scatter cilantro over the top, and serve with banana or salad.

Rest 10:00

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

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 everyday meals. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 80 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Banana, salad, yogurt, or chile sauce

Follow the collection

One-Pot Wonders is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. One-Pot Wonders

Regional lane

Djibouti national table. A structured Djibouti 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.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

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

Skoudehkaris recipe from Djibouti — Skoudehkaris finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Skoudehkaris

Banana, salad, yogurt, or chile sauce

Best route from here

Djibouti national table

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