Dibi Sogo
West African Grilled Lamb with Onions
Dibi sogo, literally "grilled animal" or grilled meat in Bambara, is a dish of grilled meats and onions, most often made with lamb. The dish is said to originate in Mali, but it's now mostly associated with Senegal and is enjoyed, under a variety of names, in other West African countries. A multitude of stands and restaurants - often maned by Malians - sell dibi as a quick takeout to eat after work, though Malians and other West Africans have figured how to make it at home, both in ovens and in air fryers. Dibi is so important in Mali, that there is an annual dibi festival in Bamako, Mali's capital. Grillers from all over come to show their talents, and the types of meats they are able to grill - including full camels!
Traditional dibi sogo is seasoned with only salt and pepper and grilled slowly over a wood fire. The dish seems to have evolved with time, with more seasonings added to the meat and the addition of onions and mustard or a mustard sauce. It's been pretty hard to find a Malian - as opposed to Senegalese - version of dibi. At this point, it seems to me that they are the same - and that we might be at a point where successful individual innovations by enterprising grillers get copied on both sides of the border.
The recipe I came up with is thus an amalgamation of many of the recipes that I saw, but keeping to the fundamentals of grilled meat, with mustard-flavored onions. Flavor wise, it was great. My husband loved it. The lamb had a strong flavor of lamb and a nice spiciness. It also had a great texture, both tender enough without being too soft. It reheated well. My only problem was that I cut the lamb pieces too small -thus my current instructions to only cut the chops in four -, which did not provide enough surface for the onions. They kept falling to the bottom of the grill. Fortunately, I saved half the onions by cooking them on a metal cover with smaller holes - and really, given that they are cooked with the lamb for another hour, I think it's OK to do this if you want.
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West African Grilled Lamb with Onions
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs bone-in lamb shoulder chops
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 2 large or 4 mini Maggi/seasoning cubes or chicken broth cubes, crushed into powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 2 tsp onion powder (optional)
- 2 tsp ground mustard (optional)
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
Directions
Cut the lamb chops into 3-4 pieces. Place in a large bowl and set aside
Mix together the salt, pepper, powdered Maggi cubes and garlic, onion and/or ground mustard, if using.
Add the oil and half of the spice mixture to the lamb and rub all over so it's completely covered. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Place the sliced onions in another bowl and season with the remaining seasoning mix. Mix, cover the bowl and refrigerate.
Oil a gas powder grill and optionally set a smoking box to one side. Preheat to 400°F. Place the lamb chops on one side and grill for 3 - 4 minutes. Turn, place the onions on top of the lamb and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the lamb chops and onions from the grill and set aside. Cover the grill, turn burners on one side of the grill to low, place the smoker box on that side, and turn off the other side of the grill. Layer two large sheets of parchment paper over each other. Transfer the lamb chops and onions onto these sheets. Wrap the lamb and onions with the parchment sheets into a tight package, using more sheets if necessary. Place the lamb in the cold part of the grill, cover the grill, and grill for one hour.
Remove to a serving bowl. Add the Dijon, the whole grain mustard and the vinegar and mix well. Serve.
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Adapted from several recipes.
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