Kitchens of Africa Traditional Yassa

Originally from Senegal and popular throughout West Africa, traditional yassa is a spicy, tangy dish made with chicken or fish in a lemony caramelized onion sauce. Kitchens of Africa's Traditional Yassa Simmer Sauce is a generations-old family recipe, with a sweet and mellow caramelized onion base accented by zesty ginger, lime and dijon mustard. Poblano pepper and a secret blend of spices add heat and depth, for an overall bright-tasting sauce with a tropical feel. Like curry, yassa is an easily adaptable recipe; simply simmer covered with your choice of meat, seafood, vegetables or even tofu for a quick and easy weeknight meal. We recommend serving over a bed or rice or couscous to soak up all of the sauce—and don't forget an extra squeeze of lime at the end of cooking to accentuate the bright flavors. Beyond the traditional, toss with roasted vegetables with right before serving, or use a light coating as a glaze for grilled vegetables.

Jainaba Jeng was born and raised in The Gambia, a small country on the west African coast bordered on three sides by Senegal. When she moved to North Carolina in 1997, she noticed that she could find ready-made sauces for some international cuisines, but none from her native country—or, in fact, from Africa. So she took matters into her own hands, creating a line of small-batch simmer sauces that draw on flavors from West Africa to Jamaica. “When you taste our foods, I hope you will feel the warmth, love and soul of all women of Africa to whom I pay tribute on our packaging,” says Jeng. “They are responsible for most of the cooking in Africa.”

• Net Weight: 12 ounces
• Ingredients: Water, onion, poblano pepper, sunflower oil, lime juice, cider vinegar, dijon mustard (water, mustard seed, vinegar, salt, citric acid), ginger, garlic, cane sugar, salt, spices, mushroom powder (mushroom, salt, mushroom extract), habanero pepper, paprika, xanthan gum
• Place of Origin: United States