Dibi Lamb - Black History Month Virtual Potluck 2023
In 2023, the theme of Black History Month is Black Resistance and Eat the Culture is recognizing the remarkable and, frankly, underrated resistance of our ancestors in bringing culinary traditions across the Atlantic to shape the vibrance of Black cuisine that we know and love today. They physically and mentally carried African foodways across the deadly Middle Passage to pass down through generations. This year’s Black History Month Virtual Potluck traces popular dishes of the Diaspora from their West African roots to North America and beyond.
Share these recipes with your friends and loved ones and follow each participant by using the hashtag #BHMVP2023 on Instagram.
Traditional & Flavorful Street Food!
Today we’re taking a trip over to Senegal with this delicious Dibi Lamb Recipe! This easy Dibi Lamb is made with tender marinated grilled lamb served with caramelized onions and a tangy mustard sauce. What more could you ask for?!?
Babbake is a Hausa term referring to the method of grilling, toasting, and building a large fire. This technique was carried from West Africa and combined with those of Indigenous peoples in the West Indies and American South to create barbecue and grilled meat traditions that persist to this day. I encourage you to follow the story of Dibi Lamb through Jerk Chicken from Jamaica and Burnt Ends from Kansas City, Missouri.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
You’re probably thinking to yourself, “What in the world is Dibi Lamb?” Don’t worry, I said the same thing! If you don’t have any personal or familial ties to this dish, 9 times out of 10, you wouldn’t know what it was.
Dibi Lamb can be traced back to the streets of Senegal. It is a traditional street food sold by vendors consisting of seasoned grilled meat accompanied by grilled onions and a tangy mustard sauce.
The grilling technique of making Dibi Lamb is very simple which goes perfectly with its street food style. Dibi actually means barbecue in the Wolof language of Senegal, Mauritania, and the Gambia. Various places that serve this delicious dish are known as “dibiteries.”
The lamb is seasoned and/or marinated in various seasonings (salt, pepper, spices, etc.), mustard, and sometimes vinegar (more modern forms). It’s grilled alongside sliced onions until tender and caramelized over open grills or wood-fired stoves.
Although lamb is more commonly used (it’s a delicacy), dibi can be other forms of grilled meat as well. The grilled meat is sliced, typically into chunks, and served in brown paper bags where all of the juices and fat from the lamb are soaked up!
It’s a simple yet flavorful dish that can be eaten as an appetizer or meal depending on how hungry you might be. I know, well at least for me, this dish became a whole family meal! This dish had gained so much popularity that is spread throughout various parts of Africa and other parts of the world. In Guinea and the Gambia, it is called Afra.
MY EXPERIENCE MAKING DIBI
To be completely honest, I was very intimidated when I first received this dish as my contribution to the potluck. I had no idea what it was or where it came from. Plus, with having no personal ties to this dish, I didn’t want to make a mockery of it.
I think a lot of people nowadays just slap a name on a recipe or menu item without doing any real research on the origins of those dishes. It’s a level of respect that you must have and display for other’s cultures and food before even attempting to make it. Also, asking questions when necessary is KEY!
While doing my research on this dish, I loved finding out that it was a traditional street food. It wasn’t an overcomplicated and frilly dish that required unnecessary steps. It focused on the simplicity of ingredients and techniques but didn’t sacrifice the integrity of flavor. It was raw and untarnished and had the ability to grow and move throughout Africa.
Even the way that it’s served (in brown paper bags) had me thinking about the vendors and shops I used to grow up eating in. There would be these small hole-in-the-wall places/dives that honestly looked very sketchy, but had food that could go up against some of the best 5-Star restaurants.
The meat and onions were seasoned well, tangy, and packed full of flavor! Plus, the bold mustard flavor only enhanced the flavors of the grilled lamb. It reminded me of how food connects us all in more ways than we think. Plus, being that this is street food, it relates to my overall view on food. Food can be elevated and enhanced, but it should never be overly complicated.
When grilling the meat, I started thinking about the families that are over in Senegal who might have their own dibiteries. The generation of people who have continued this tradition reminded me of how my dad taught me how to prep different cuts of meat and how to grill them.
It’s crazy to think about how something so “simple” could relate to me more than I could have ever thought. This dish put me out of my comfort zone and showed me that it was definitely a missing recipe from my weekly rotation!
Dibi lamb Ingredients:
This Dibi Lamb might traditionally be a street food, but I could have it any time of the day! The flavors are ridiculously delicious which should honestly be a sin. Plus, the ingredients are not hard to find at all! Trust me, your local grocery stores will have them all.
Remember, it’s always best to use fresh ingredients. The fresher the ingredients, the better the meal. Let’s walk through them to see how we can use them!
Lamb: We already know that lamb can get very expensive. So, you want to make sure you get the best cut to grill. I suggest using the shoulder or leg of the lamb. You want the meat to be light pink with streaks of white fat running through it. The fat or marbling will keep the meat moist and tender while grilling.
Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper: For this recipe, you want to keep the seasoning pretty simple since you’ll be using a lot of fresh onions and garlic. A simple kosher salt and ground black pepper will work just fine.
Oil: You always want to have some type of oil in your marinades. The oil helps the meat retain moisture while transferring fat-soluble flavor into the meat. A simple vegetable or olive oil will work great!
Whole-Grain Mustard: Since the dish is traditionally served with a mustard sauce, I added some whole-grain mustard to the marinade. Whole grain mustard has a great tangy and slightly bitter taste which paired great with the lamb.
Garlic: Minced garlic is a must in pretty much all of my recipes! It adds so much flavor to the lamb. Plus, you only need a small amount of it! It makes a big difference in the overall taste.
White Vinegar: Add some additional acid into the marinade, I added in a small amount of white vinegar. Vinegar helps to break down the proteins in the lamb making it more tender.
Cayenne Pepper: A little spice goes a long way in any recipe! I added some cayenne pepper to help brighten up the marinade and add some flavor to the grilled lamb.
Yellow Onions: I stuck with a very simple yellow onion to go with the lamb. It is slightly sweet and caramelizes beautifully on the grill. You’ll just want to slice these.
Dijon Mustard: To add some more contrast to the dish, I added a small amount of Dijon mustard into the sauce along with the whole grain mustard. Dijon Mustard has a more tangy, sharp, and strong flavor compared to whole-grain mustard since it has been blended.
Granulated Sugar: Since the mustard sauce is very tangy, I added in a small amount of granulated sugar. It helps to balance out the flavors in the sauce without taking away too much of the sharpness.
Water: You’ll need a small amount of water to use if you want to thin out your mustard sauce a little. You can also make the sauce without cooking the onions in the pan if you enjoy the bite and texture of raw onions.
How to Make Dibi lamb:
Y’all don’t understand how easy this was to make! Y’all know, I’m always down for a simple and easy recipe! But, that doesn’t mean this recipe skips out on FLAVOR! After one bit you’ll want to add this recipe to your weekly meal rotation.
The full written recipe is below, but here’s an overview:
STEP 1: Trim & Season the Lamb. Trim any excess fat from the lamb. Season the lamb with kosher salt and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Toss the lamb with oil, whole grain mustard, garlic, white vinegar, cayenne pepper, and sliced onions. Cover and allow the meat to marinate for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
STEP 2: Preheat the Grill & Make the Sauce. Preheat the grill to medium-high. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and sauté the onions with whole grain mustard and white vinegar making sure not to overly brown the onions (about 7 - 8 minutes). Stir frequently. To thin out the sauce add 1/4 cup of water. Season with cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
STEP 3: Season & Thin Out the Sauce. Taste and add more kosher salt and ground black pepper if needed. If the sauce is too acidic and tangy add ½ tsp of granulated sugar. Remove the sauce from the heat and keep warm.
STEP 4: Grill the Lamb & Onions. Oil the grill with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil. Grill the lamb and onions until desired doneness and charred on the outside (about 6 - 8 minutes for medium doneness). Try using aluminum foil over the grill grates to prevent the onions from burning too fast.
STEP 5: Allow the Lamb to rest before slicing. Remove the lamb and onions from the grill. Allow the lamb to rest for about 5 minutes. Slice the lamb into small bite-size pieces.
STEP 6: Serve with the Sauce & Enjoy! Serve the grilled lamb and onions with the warm mustard sauce. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Dibi Lamb:
I’ve come to love this delicious street food on its own! But, we love to make dishes multi-purpose over here! simple salad will be perfect for this baked ziti. But here a just a few that I would recommend:
Fried Plantains
Fresh Sliced Bread
Sauteed Greens
Fresh Lettuce and Tomato Salad
I’d love to hear your feedback about this EASY Sengelese Dibi Lamb Recipe. Leave me a message in the comments section below. Remember to share and enjoy! Follow Be Greedy Eats on Pinterest and Instagram as well!
Senegalese Dibi Lamb
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the lamb. Season the lamb with kosher salt and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Toss the lamb with oil, whole grain mustard, garlic, white vinegar, cayenne pepper, and sliced onions. Cover and allow the meat to marinate for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and sauté the onions with whole grain mustard and white vinegar making sure not to overly brown the onions (about 7 - 8 minutes). Stir frequently. To thin out the sauce add 1/4 cup of water. Season with cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
- Taste and add more kosher salt and ground black pepper if needed. If the sauce is too acidic and tangy add ½ tsp of granulated sugar. Remove the sauce from the heat and keep warm.
- Oil the grill with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil. Grill the lamb and onions until desired doneness and charred on the outside (about 6 - 8 minutes for medium doneness). Try using aluminum foil over the grill grates to prevent the onions from burning too fast.
- Remove the lamb and onions from the grill. Allow the lamb to rest for about 5 minutes. Slice the lamb into small bite-size pieces.
- Serve the grilled lamb and onions with the warm mustard sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips & Tricks:
- If your lamb isn’t cooking to your preferred temperature, try grilling it first and then finishing it in a 400°F oven until it comes up to temp.
- Try serving your Dibi Lamb in the traditional street vendor way in a brown paper bag with mustard sauce.
- Here are some side dishes to try with your Dibi Lamb: Fried Plantains, Sauteed Greens, Fresh Sliced Bread
Nutrition Facts
Calories
621Fat (grams)
50Sat. Fat (grams)
9Carbs (grams)
13Fiber (grams)
4Net carbs
9Sugar (grams)
5Protein (grams)
32Sodium (milligrams)
3525Cholesterol (grams)
92This recipe is seasoned to taste in certain steps. The nutritional facts listed above only account for the amounts listed in the ingredient section.
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