History

Chicken suqaar is a Somali home dish of diced meat stewed with onion, garlic and a warm spice blend (cumin, coriander, cardamom). Hoyo's Kitchen brought it from home cooking to mainstream Columbus through the North Market counter in 2014. The Hoyo's family arrived in Columbus from Somalia in the 1990s as part of the Twin Cities-Columbus refugee resettlement; the banana side is the traditional Somali sweet finish.

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 700g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm dice
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 2 green bell peppers, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper
  • Basmati rice and a banana to serve

Method

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, 6 minutes. Season with salt.
  2. Add onion and green pepper. Saute until softened, 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
  4. Add diced tomato and 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, partially covered, until chicken is tender and sauce thickens.
  5. Adjust seasoning. Stir in cilantro.
  6. Serve over basmati rice with a peeled banana on the side, sliced into the suqaar at the table.

Tip from the editors. The banana isn't a garnish; it's a temperature and sweetness counter to the spice. Slice it into the suqaar as you eat.

Where to eat hoyo's chicken suqaar

Hoyo's chicken suqaar in Columbus

Hoyo's Kitchen ★ 4.5

Middle Eastern$$downtownMon 10:00-17:00; Tue-Sat 09:00-19:00; Sun 10:00-17:00

Hoyo's Kitchen at North Market downtown serves Somali sambusas, suqaar and rice bowls for Columbus's significant Somali population since 2014.

Why locals love it: Inside North Market, the Hassan family's Somali counter is one of the few US Somali restaurants visible to non-Somali Columbus eaters.

Tip: Order the beef sambusa and a chicken suqaar over rice Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.

59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215

Hoyo's Kitchen North Market ★ 4.5

Street food$downtownMon 10:00-17:00; Tue-Sat 09:00-19:00; Sun 10:00-17:00

Hoyo's Kitchen inside North Market in Columbus downtown serves Somali sambusas, chicken suqaar and rice bowls, run by the Hassan family since 2014.

Try: Somali chicken sambusa

59 Spruce St, Columbus, OH 43215

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