Bonava
Stewed Lamb and Potatoes
Bonava is a dish of lamb stewed with onions, potatoes and vinegar. It seems to be a lamb version of Senegalese yassa (made with chicken), though at least this particular recipe does not call for lemon juice. Mauritanian cuisine has been deeply influenced by the cuisine of Senegal, so this is not surprising.
I liked the dish, but not as much as yassa. In all, it had a very mild flavor - though further reducing of the sauce helped bring forward the vinegar. The lamb was lusciously soft, however. Cooking the lamb in a pan full of onions made it impossible to brown - if I made it again, I'd first brown the lamb and set it aside, then cook the onions and then return the lamb to the pot.
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Mauritanian Stewed Lamb and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup peanut oil
- 4 lbs lamb shoulder, deboned and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
- ground chilies to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
Directions
Bring a large saucepan or stockpot with water to a boil. Add the onions and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
Put a kettle water to boil while you prepare the lamb, and keep simmering while you finish the next step.
Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, but not browned. Increase heat to medium-high and add the lamb. Brown on all sides. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt, pepper and ground chilies. Pour enough simmering water on the pan to cover the lamb and add bay leaves. Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for one hour. Add the cubed potatoes and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
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Adapted from Vera Abitbol's recipe at 196 Flavors
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