Yassa is one of the most popular dishes in Senegal. It is an incredibly flavoured sauce made with caramelized onions, lemon (and/or mustard) and grilled chicken. It is a perfect balance of sweet and sour. For today’s recipe, we are taking a vegan twist on this Senegalese classic. We will be making a vegan friendly tofu yassa that has all the flavours of the original but is plant based friendly.

My experience with Senegalese Food

My first exposure to Senegalese food was when I watched Andy Baraghani try out Senegalese food with Chef Pierre Tham (click here to watch). Chef Pierre is the founder of Yolélé, a company that sells Fonio, and the co-founder of Teranga, a West African restaurant in New York City. All I knew about Senegalese cuisine was that they were the creators of Jollof Rice and they loved fish. As an anglophone West African, I also experienced a language barrier when it came to French West African cuisine. I was truly mesmerized by how familiar the ingredients were to me but also used differently. On the show, they cooked jollof fonio, okra stew and yassa chicken. The biggest difference was the presence of sour flavours in their cooking. This show introduced me to fonio as well as the delicious flavours that make Yassa so unique.

So what exactly is Yassa

Yassa poulet or chicken yassa is made with lots of caramelized onions, chicken marinated in lemon juice and spices. The sauce is also be made with fish or beef. In Chef Pierre’s video recipe, the yassa poulet was kept very simple: caramelized onions, chicken, lemons and herbs. I have also seen many recipes that marinate the chicken with mustard for added sourness and cooked the sauce with olives (click here). I have consulted some Senegalese friends and were notified that the mustard is not traditional but a new and popular addition. You might expect the sauce to be sour but that is far from the truth. Because of the slowly cooked caramelized onion, the dish is a perfect balance of sweet and sour, and bursting with flavour.

What ingredient will you need

  • Onion: this is essential
  • Garlic: for extra flavour
  • Lemon Juice and Mustard: these bring a nice sour flavour to the sauce
  • Veggie Broth: Since Tofu does not release liquid when cooking, veggie broth adds more flavour and loosens up the sauce
  • Aromatics: bay leaves and scotch bonnet pepper add a nice flavour to the sauce

How to make Tofu Yassa

  • For this recipe, the process will be similar to that of traditional chicken yassa
  • First, marinate the tofu with lemon juice, mustard, spices and garlic
  • Meanwhile, caramelize the onions
  • After marinating the tofu, sear the tofu for crisp outside
  • Transfer the tofu to the pot with caramelized onions and cook down with extra water and marinade
  • Serve with carb of choice (try it with fonio – Click here for recipe) or jollof rice (click here for recipe)
https://youtu.be/elgi_gGGJ3M
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Course Side Dish
Cuisine Senegalese
Keyword african ingredients
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 large onions sliced
  • 1 extra firm tofu cut strips ~ 16 chunks in total
  • 3 cloves of garlic crushed
  • 2 tbsp yellow mustard
  • Juice from one medium lemon
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1-2 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 1 veggie bouillon powder cube = 2 tsp of bouillon powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/3 scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • vegetable oil

Instructions

  • Slice the tofu into sticks or cubes, whatever you prefer
  • In a bowl, combine the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, chilli flakes and veggie bouillon powder to make the marinade
  • Add in the tofu and mix well, then let it sit for 20 minutes
  • In a pot at medium heat add the onions and 1 tbsp of oil. Cover the pot and let it sit for 35 minutes. This slowly caramelizes the onions. After 20 minutes, if you are noticing that the onions are steaming rather than turning brown, partially cover the pot to allow the moisture to evaporate and let the onion caramelize
  • After the time has elapsed, heat up a pan with enough oil to coat the pan
  • Sear the tofu and crisp up each side
  • Once you have fried all the tofu, place all the tofu in the pot of onion. Add the rest of the marinade left over as well as 1/2 cup of water, the bay leaf and scotch bonnet pepper
  • Partially cover the pot and let the sauce cook for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat
  • Once the time has elapsed, the sauce should be ready
  • Serve with your choice of carbohydrates