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1
Soften the Onion & Pepper
8 Mins
Medium heat, ~170°C (340°F)
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and green pepper and cook, stirring often, for about 8 minutes until the onion is soft and golden at the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Let the onion go properly soft and golden — a pale, crunchy onion makes the whole sauce taste raw.
Done when: Onion is soft, translucent and golden at the edges; garlic smells fragrant, not burnt.
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2
Brown the Beef & Bloom the Xawaash
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F)
Raise the heat, add the ground beef and cook for about 8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it is browned all over and no pink remains. Sprinkle in the xawaash and cook for 30 seconds, stirring, until the spices smell warm and toasty. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until it darkens a shade.
Break the beef into small pieces as it cooks — suugo means the meat is in small pieces, and fine crumbles coat the spaghetti far better than big lumps.
Done when: Beef is browned through with no pink; spices smell warm; tomato paste has darkened.
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3
Simmer the Suugo
20 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (203°F)
Pour in the canned tomatoes with all their juices and half the salt, and scrape up the browned bits from the pan base. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover loosely, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon and the beef is tender. The beef must reach at least 71°C (160°F) throughout.
A loose lid lets the sauce thicken without spitting; if it gets too thick, add a splash of the pasta water.
Done when: Sauce is thick, deep red and glossy; beef is tender; a spoon dragged through leaves a clear trail.
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4
Cook the Spaghetti
10 Mins
Rolling boil, 100°C (212°F)
While the suugo simmers, cook the spaghetti in the large pot of boiling salted water according to the packet time, usually 9–11 minutes, until just tender with a slight bite. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the starchy pasta water, then drain the spaghetti well.
Salt the pasta water generously — it is the only chance to season the spaghetti itself, and the starchy water loosens the sauce later.
Done when: Spaghetti is al dente: tender with a firm bite in the centre; a strand cut in half shows no white core.
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5
Toss, Plate & Serve
5 Mins
Medium heat, ~170°C (340°F)
Tip the drained spaghetti into the pan of suugo and toss for 1–2 minutes over medium heat, adding splashes of the reserved pasta water until every strand is coated and glossy. Taste and add the remaining salt if needed. Serve hot in wide bowls, scattered with coriander, with the banana slices and lime wedges on the side and basbaas for those who want heat.
Tossing the pasta in the sauce for a minute, rather than spooning sauce over plain pasta, is what makes the strands taste of xawaash all the way through.
Done when: Every strand is coated and glossy; the dish smells warmly spiced; banana and lime are on the side.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the baasto hot from the pan, with the banana sliced alongside and a wedge of lime squeezed over each bowl. Take bites of banana between forkfuls of pasta — the cool sweetness against the warm, spiced suugo is the whole point.
Somalia
1h 15m
France
Vietnam