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Khadim Mbamba is the owner and head chef of Little Baobab, a pop-up restaurant that celebrates Senegalese food and music at monthly gatherings in London. Follow him on Instagram @littlebaobabuk

Chicken yassa

1 HOUR + MARINATING | SERVES 4 | EASY | LC GF

Yassa is one of Senegal’s favourite dishes and one of the crowdpleasers at Little Baobab. It always reminds me of my childhood because if my mum wanted me to do something she would tell me she was going to make chicken yassa, and I would do whatever she wanted! Cooking it now reminds me of Senegal and of my mum and sisters. My tip is to always put a lot of love in when you’re cooking and it will show in the finished dish. The dish originated in the south of Senegal in the Casamance region where the Diola people come from, and is now popular throughout West Africa.

onions 4 medium, 2 roughly chopped, 2 thinly sliced
garlic 4 cloves, peeled
spring onion 1, roughly chopped
green pepper ½, roughly chopped
ginger 15g, roughly chopped
scotch bonnet chilli 1, deseeded and chopped
flat-leaf parsley a handful
lemons 2, juiced
dijon mustard 1 tbsp
whole chicken legs (skin on) 4, slashed
vegetable oil 3 tbsp
red wine vinegar 2 tbsp
bay leaf 1
green olives (optional)
plain rice, or to serve