Vermicelle Poulet — Senegal

Vermicelle Poulet is a Senegalese dish that swaps rice for vermicelli pasta while keeping the tomato-based, one-pot cooking style shared with the country's rice-and-fish or rice-and-meat dishes, built here around chicken rather than either of those. It is reported from households across Senegal, where it offers a quicker alternative to rice dishes since vermicelli cooks faster, and is often prepared for weekday meals or when rice is not on hand, sitting alongside similar meat-and-vegetable one-pot meals in everyday cooking. To prepare it, chicken pieces are browned with onion, garlic and a pounded parsley-chili paste, then simmered with tomato paste and water alongside vegetables such as carrot, cabbage and potato until both meat and vegetables are tender. The vermicelli is added toward the end, either directly into the broth or lightly toasted in oil first, and left to absorb the liquid until soft without turning to mush. What distinguishes one version of Vermicelle Poulet from another is mainly the vegetable mix and whether the vermicelli is pre-toasted for a nuttier flavor or simmered directly in the broth, along with how much sauce is left to coat the pasta at the end.