Make one or make all: Yewande Komolafe’s curated menus are meant for celebrating.
By Yewande Komolafe
Printed March 16, 2026Up to date March 16, 2026
As a reserved extrovert, I really like cooking and internet hosting in my own residence, and the sensation that sharing a meal with others provides me. My intuition has at all times been to create a cautious, detailed, curated plan — one which, admittedly, doesn’t at all times work. I’ve needed to shortly pivot, turning underproofed doughs meant for rolls into crackers or soggy jollof rice into panko-crusted fritters. However the purpose just isn’t perfection; it’s to open up my house and myself to household, mates and generally even strangers.
To know — and share — my strategy to those meals, I’ve chosen 25 recipes from New York Instances Cooking, dishes that spotlight the flavors of the African continent and its diaspora, a spotlight of my work as a columnist for The Instances. All the recipes are drawn from on a regular basis lifetime of locations like Nigeria, Liberia, Kenya and Somalia. They inform a wealthy story of a area’s meals, balanced, vibrant and deeply nourishing.
The recipes right here embrace crisp-crunchy appetizers; strong soups and stews; sparkly condiments for dipping; beneficiant helpings of meaty mains; and vegetable dishes which can be textured and brilliant. You may make them for any fashion of gathering — formal or informal, seated multicourse or standing room solely. Combine and match them as you want. Under, you’ll discover three potential menus that I’ve created for you, too.
Take these dishes as an providing, a springy step ahead after the lengthy winter months. Be at liberty to incorporate your company as a part of the planning course of. Delegate any activity you’ll be able to’t do your self; this help will unlock your thoughts and assist you to execute the meal as supposed. It’ll additionally make manner for dialog, catching up, reflecting and sharing, all future reminiscences of an unforgettable gathering.
Menu A begins with hilib sambuus (beef dumplings) and ends with a fast mango kulfi.Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Every of those urged menus is a journey, evocative and riddled with taste. Each course is an invite to fill your kitchen with scents that waft throughout your nostril; audible sears, spatters, pops and crunches that please your ears; and tingles of bitter, spice, bitter and candy that awaken your tastebuds.
MENU A begins with hilib sambuus (beef dumplings), a Somali delicacy and cousin of South Asian samosas that has made its manner throughout Africa and is usually recognized by completely different names. After this strong appetizer, I wish to serve spicy peanut and pumpkin soup, a easy purée that includes groundnuts. Then, I transfer on to a most important with two starchy sides. Jollof rice begins on the stovetop and ends in a scorching oven; roasted shrimp with okra and tomatoes and roasted carrots with yaji spice relish are handy because the oven is already going. The final chew here’s a fast mango kulfi, a refreshing palate cleanser in spite of everything these dancing flavors.
MENU B follows comparable directives of sensory delight, starting with a Liberian collard inexperienced dip, impressed by a dialog with the chef Ope Amosu, of ChòpnBlok in Houston. He usually serves his with fried plantain chips, however any chip would work. It’s a vigorous introduction to this menu’s flavors. Shifting east, the Zanzibari road meals urojo, a brilliant, bouncy soup, has been tailored for the house cook dinner right here, and is then adopted by a return to Somalia with xawaash braised lamb shanks. It’s paired with a agency however delicately set bean pudding, mọin-mọin for a gathering. Use the standard burẹ́dì ágẹ̀gẹ to pull sauces to your mouth. A beet salad tinged with coriander-yogurt dressing and in-season recent fruit finish the meal on a nuanced, earthy be aware.
MENU C, my favourite, begins with a vigorous chaat occasion! We observe this lively appetizer proper into the equally spirited most important course, baked tofu with peanut sauce and coconut-lime rice served with caramelized plantains with beans, lemon and scallions and cagaar (spinach stew) to spoon over as many greens as potential. Lastly, spiced coconut tapioca pudding with fruit, steeped with lemongrass, makrut lime leaves and mild warming spices, delivers a ultimate second to pause, delight and mirror.
An incredible starter affords an introduction to the menu, will get your mouth transferring, prompts your senses and whets your urge for food.
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Liberian stewed greens, however make it a condiment: This dip is made for dunking. Make it your personal by serving it alongside any chips, fritters or starchy grains and greens.
Recipe: Liberian Stewed Greens Dip
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
An ode to the soups and stews of Nomadic communities throughout the huge Sahel and Savanna areas of West Africa, this savory soup is a silky clean, creamy, cooling and scrumptious spoonful.
Recipe: Spicy Peanut and Pumpkin Soup
Credit score…Armando Rafael for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Sure, a salad will be the final course! Roasted beets with orangey chickpeas and North African-inspired coriander-yogurt drizzle, that is straightforward to place collectively and the proper finish to a sturdy meal.
Recipe: Beet Salad With Coriander Yogurt Dressing
Credit score…David Malosh for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Oh, to be a bunch of spinach leaves, collapsing in full-bodied, mildly candy and puckery sauce, spiced with xawaash.
Recipe: Cagaar (Spinach Stew)
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
A aromatic, brothy inexperienced mango soup with a bitter chew, urojo (a.ok.a. Zanzibari combine) is an East African favourite. This home-cooked model, with a toasted and spiced crispy-crunchy topping, is a vivacious and splashy method to start any meal.
Recipe: Zanzibari Combine (Urojo)
Credit score…Christopher Simpson for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Simon Andrews.
This dish from the chef Maneet Chauhan is a celebration in itself. It’s an appetizer you’ll be able to linger over, particularly should you make sufficient chutneys to spare.
Recipe: Chaat Occasion
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Fold a roti round some spiced floor meat and cabbage, cook dinner it in ghee and pair it with some scorching pepper sauce to serve for a festive begin to any occasion.
Recipe: Zanzibari Pizza
Credit score…David Malosh for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Simon Andrews.
These modern, trendy, triangular items are made for touring, and you may fill them with a spread of spiced floor meats or greens.
Recipe: Hilib Sambuus (Fried Beef Dumplings)
These technique-driven recipes permit one of the best qualities of any protein to shine.
Credit score…David Malosh for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Baked fish with a Nigerian contact, this fast dish from Kiano Moju begins with peanuts and spices floor collectively and tossed with panko crumbs, making a combination to sprinkle over chunky salmon slices. A drizzle of olive oil and a high-temperature oven full this roast for a crunchy-crispy seafood dinner.
Recipe: Crispy Suya-Spiced Salmon
Credit score…Armando Rafael for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“Fork-tender braised lamb shanks don’t require way more than time” — a refined reminder from Ifrah F. Ahmed, who developed this recipe. All that’s wanted is persistence, with your self and the meaty lamb shank because it succumbs to the scrumptious, spiced sauce.
Recipe: Xawaash Braised Lamb Shanks
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Right here, the comfortable, supple texture of divine tofu takes on the flavour of peanuts and miso, with a kick of chile spice. The sauce offers the proper edge for an in any other case gentle roasted dish.
Recipe: Baked Tofu With Peanut Sauce and Coconut-Lime Rice
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
How straightforward is it to make kebabs? The reply is 25 minutes straightforward with this recipe, described by its creator, Zaynab Issa, as “spiced, floor beef over cooling yogurt.” This model is Iranian-inspired, however its inclusion right here nods to the prevalence of kebabs of all kinds throughout Africa.
Recipe: Smashed Beef Kebab With Cucumber Yogurt
Credit score…Christopher Testani for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Eugene Jho.
Wealthy, meaty pork performs properly with dazzling tart oranges. However wait! Brown sugar can be invited to the occasion, for a touch of sweetness on this strong and vigorous most important dish.
Recipe: Citrus-Glazed Pork Chops With Gingery Bok Choy
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
With a brilliant yellow hue from floral purple palm oil, this dish is an assertive name in your consideration. It’s riddled with taste from dried crayfish and irú (tiny dry shrimp and fermented black beans). It beckons, adamant you discover and provides it a attempt.
Recipe: Iwuk Edesi (One-Pot Rice With Hen)
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
The chef Kia Damon describes this as “the makings of a stew with a fraction of the effort and time.” Mix the smoky, the mildly candy and the savory collectively on a baking sheet, add a glug of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and pop in your oven.
Recipe: Roasted Shrimp With Okra and Tomatoes
Greens add crisp freshness to the meal and act as vessels for the juices in your plate.
Credit score…Johnny Miller for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Sylist: Paige Hicks.
Oh, èfọ́ rírò! The duty is that this: Get smoky, funky, spicy components and a bag stuffed with greens, then set them on the range for a protracted, gradual simmer.
Recipe: Èfọ́ Rírò (Stewed Amaranth Greens)
Credit score…Johnny Miller for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Is it even a celebration if there’s no jollof rice? Begun on the stovetop, coated in a saucy tomato-pepper combine and accomplished within the oven, its journey is a thrill.
Recipe: Jollof Rice
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
These caramelized carrots are doused with earthy yaji (a.ok.a. suya spice) and completed with a glowing inexperienced relish for a brilliant burst of freshness. Suya spice is ubiquitous throughout many African cuisines and is great on nearly every little thing.
Recipe: Roasted Carrots With Yaji Spice Relish
Credit score…David Malosh for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Simon Andrews.
The primary character right here is the resplendent plantain. Roast and pair it with cooked beans, a bathe of recent scallions and lemon to make a mildly candy and puckery dish.
Recipe: Caramelized Plantains With Beans, Scallions and Lemon
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
This tackle a West and Central African dish is a steamed bean pudding studded with surprises. This model makes use of banana leaves for the bundle and is cooked in a skillet.
Recipe: Mọin-Mọin for a Gathering (Savory Bean Pudding)
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
These plush and fluffy rolls are excellent to separate in half to cradle braised meats, or to make use of as a automobile to smoosh, dip and drag any saucy stews to your mouth.
Recipe: Burẹ́dì Ágẹ̀gẹ (Delicate Pull-Aside Rolls)
On the continent, recent fruit usually serves as a reset in between programs or after a big, wealthy meal. Eat it plain and juicy, or in these easy meal-ending dishes.
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Tapioca pearls preserve their bouncy texture when simmered in coconut milk suffused with lemongrass, makrut lime and spices. A splash of coconut cream, a scattering of toasted coconut flakes and a pop of fruit make each spoonful an absolute stunner.
Recipe: Spiced Coconut Tapioca Pudding With Fruit
Credit score…Kelly Marshall for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
You possibly can have a mango dessert all yr spherical! This recipe makes use of canned mangoes and takes simply 5 minutes of labor. The freezer does the remaining.
Recipe: Fast Mango Kulfi
Credit score…Joe Lingeman for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
The recipe developer Ifrah F. Ahmed guarantees the style of this delicate crepe to be “the stuff of desires.” Is there a lovelier method to finish a meal?
Recipe: Malawax (Cardamom Crepe)
Credit score…David Malosh for The New York Instances. Meals Stylist: Simon Andrews.
The honeycomb form just isn’t the one distinguishing issue of this comfortable, pillowy, candy and savory, stuffed dessert. Fashionable in Somali households, it additionally has a creamy, gently tacky filling and a end of sweetened condensed milk.
Recipe: Rooti Farmaarjol (Honeycomb Cheese Bread)
