Safari Express’ Safari Chicken Wrap

Katie Cannon / Heavy Table
Katie Cannon / Heavy Table

According to Chef Jamal Hashi of Safari Express East African Restaurant in Minneapolis, MN, a wrap would be eaten in Somalia “as a quick street food, like a hamburger is here.”

Safari Express sells their Safari Chicken Wrap, with a side salad, for $5.49 (They also offer beef or veggies wraps for $5.49). Or you could try making your own using the homemade chapati bread Safari Express sells for $0.99.

At Safari Express, they blend their own “Magic” spice mix that they add to many of their dishes. The blend includes curry, cumin, chile, basil, brown sugar, and red food coloring. If you’d like to mix your own, start with equal portions (say 1/4 tsp) of each component and adjust from there.

This recipe is an approximate rendition of the wrap Hashi prepared during the interview for our story “An Evening in a Somali Kitchen.”

Safari Chicken Wrap:
Yield: 1 wrap

Ingredients:
Chapati bread, pre-made
Olive oil, for stir frying
¼ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and sliced into bite-sized pieces
⅛ c red onions, sliced
1-2 tsp or to taste “Magic spice”
¼ c green and red bell peppers, sliced
1 tbsp carrot and zucchini, shredded
2 tbsp or to taste of vinaigrette: olive oil, basil, lemon (or vinegar or lime)
¼ c iceberg lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp or to taste ranch dressing

Directions:

  1. Heat chapati bread over fire.
  2. In a saute pan over high heat, heat olive oil.
  3. Add chicken and saute, 1-2 minutes.
  4. Add sliced onions and Magic Spice, and saute until chicken is cooked through.
  5. Add bell peppers, carrot, and zucchini and saute another 2 -3 minutes.
  6. Put sauteed chicken and vegetables in the middle of the chapati.
  7. Drizzle vinaigrette over chicken.
  8. Layer lettuce over the chicken.
  9. Drizzle with ranch dressing.
  10. Fold the chapati over the chicken, vegetables, and lettuce: Wrap it like a burrito.
  11. Slice in half and serve.

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