Sumu chickpea and orzo pasta
A Zimbabwean inspired dish; chickpeas and roasted squash in a peri peri sumu sauce. Sumu sauce is a tomato based sauce made with smoked paprika, African bird’s eye chilli and plenty of garlic and ginger. This recipe requires very little hands on time making it an ideal midweek dinner.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp fresh ginger finely grated
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- Salt and pepper to season
- 2 x 400g tinned chickpeas
- 250 g orzo pasta
- 20 g dessicated coconut
- 1 tsp sugar
For the sumu sauce
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- Thumb of ginger
- 1 red chilli
- 1 bird's eye chilli
- 1 x 400g tinned plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp maggi liquid seasoning
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Small handful fresh basil leaves roughly torn
Instructions
- Add the squash and bell peppers to a large ovenproof dish. Pour over the oil, herbs and spices and season with salt and pepper. Combine the ingredients, then place the dish in the oven and roast for 30 minutes at 200C / 180 fan.
- Meanwhile prepare the sumu sauce. Roughly chop the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies (keeping the seeds*). Add the ingredients to a food processor along with the tinned tomatoes. Blitz for 30 seconds until the mixture resembles a paste like texture.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan. Pour in the tomato sauce and add the smoked paprika, maggi seasoning and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and scatter throughout the torn basil leaves.
- Add the orzo pasta to a pan of boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Drain well and leave to one side. Drain the chickpeas and rinse well.
- Add the coconut and sugar to a frying pan over a moderate heat. Toast until golden, approximately 3 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven. Add the orzo pasta, chickpeas and sumu sauce to the dish and mix well. Serve onto plates and garnish with basil and the sweetened coconut.
Notes
This dish is moderately spiced. If you want it mild, simply deseed the chillies and/or add less of them.