Liberian Spaghetti
Spaghetti became popular in Liberia during the 2008 financial crisis, when rice prices doubledand became inaccessible to many Liberians. Cheap spaghetti was there to take its place, and Liberian cooks made their best to make it accessible by preparing it "the Liberian way, with lots of African [chilli] pepper." It took a while for Liberians to learn how eat it - and the original recipe called for cutting it in half, but it's now so popular that I found a myriad of recipes online.
What makes Liberian spaghetti Liberian is the abundant use of chili peppers, both bell peppers and habaneros (or their African equivalent). Tomatoes can be used - and I did so here because I had a couple that I needed to use urgently -, but often aren't. Liberians like to use lots of different meats in their dishes, and do as well here. This recipe calls only for sausage, hot dogs and shrimp, but others also use ground meat or ground sausage and other types of meats.
The peppers/onions/garlic and Maggi cube combination seems like a base for Liberian cuisine - I used it as well for my chicken with gravy recipe. Here, it is seasoned with an adobo seasoning mix and nothing else, making it quite fresh tasting. The sauce was too spicy for my taste, even though I skipped using any habanero seeds in the dish, but my husband really liked it. It was unlike any spaghetti he'd had, and he appreciated the spiciness and fresh flavors.
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Liberian-style Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes, quartered (optional)
- 1 onion, cut into thick wedges
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 5 habaneros or other spicy peppers, seeded (optional) and cut into chunks
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 1 Maggi cube
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1 Kielbasa sausage, sliced
- 6 hot dogs sausages, sliced (optional)
- 1 lb shrimp, deshelled and trimmed
- 1 Tbsp adobo or another seasoning mix
- 1 lb spaghetti
Directions
Put a pot of salted water to boil.
Meanwhile, using an electric blender, blend together the tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic. Add the Maggi cube and blend again.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and hot dog slices (if using) and brown on both sides. Remove, using a slotted spoon. Set aside. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and golden on both sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove and set aside. Add the reserved pureed vegetables and the adobo seasoning. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sausages and shrimp, turn heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to the pot with boiling water, cut in half if desired. Cook until it's al dente. Strain and transfer to the pan with the sauce. Mix well, cook for a couple of minutes, and serve.
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Adapted from Winnette's recipe in Youtube.
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