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Kaani, Senegalese Onion and Chile Relish

Kaani, Senegalese Onion and Chile Relish

Serves 8 10 min total, 10 min hands on West African 🥣 Dip & spread $0.20 per serving No added salt

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Kaani is the raw onion and Scotch bonnet relish that rides alongside Senegalese rice dishes and braises, the bright, hot hit that cuts through anything rich. Scotch bonnet is the true chile here, and a habanero stands in perfectly for its fruity fire. The trick is the lime: it softens the onion, tames its bite, and turns the mix into something you can spoon on rather than just chile-hot slices. Give it a few minutes to macerate before serving, and use a light hand, because it is meant as an accent.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Slice the onions as thin as you can manage, ideally on a mandoline. Thin slices soften quickly in the lime and lose their raw harshness, which is what turns a pile of onion into a relish.
  2. Toss the onion with the lime juice and a good pinch of the black pepper, then work it with your fingers for a few seconds. Bruising the onion into the acid speeds the softening and pulls out its liquid to build the dressing.
  3. Fold in the minced habanero and the parsley. Seed the chile for a relish you can spoon on generously, or keep a few seeds if you want it to sting, since Scotch bonnet heat is the signature of the dish.
  4. Let it sit at least 10 minutes, or up to a few hours in the fridge, before serving. The rest is not optional: it is when the onion turns from raw and sharp to sweet-sour and ready. Spoon it over rice, beans, and braised vegetables.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving: 20 calories, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber, 5 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.

Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.

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