Entree: Botswana – Northern Culinary Region – Tswii (Traditional Batswana stew of smoked or dried beef simmered with vegetables and served with sorghum or maize porridge)

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 hr

Total 1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

- 1 lb (454 g) smoked beef or aged dried beef, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large onions, sliced (about 12 oz / 340 g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) rounds (about 8 oz / 225 g)
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 10 oz / 285 g)
- 1 small green pepper, diced (about 3 oz / 85 g)
- 1 tsp (5 g) ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp (9 g) fine salt, or to taste (reduce if beef is very salty)
- 2 cups (480 ml) water or beef stock
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice or 1 tbsp (15 ml) vinegar (optional)
- Cooked sorghum meal or maize meal (pap) to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and sauté 6–8 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
2. Add the smoked beef pieces to the pot and brown briefly on all sides, 3–4 minutes. Stir in ground coriander, cumin, and black pepper so spices coat the meat and onions.
3. Mix in chopped tomatoes, diced green pepper, tomato paste, and carrots. Pour in water or stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 45–60 minutes until the beef is tender and flavors meld, stirring occasionally. Add more water if necessary to maintain a saucy consistency.
4. Taste and adjust salt (remember preserved beef may be salty), and finish with lemon juice or vinegar if using to balance richness. Remove bay leaf.
5. Serve the Tswii hot alongside cooked sorghum meal or maize porridge (pap), spooning stew and sauce over portions of the porridge.