Shaashada › Recipes › Cambuulo (Somali Adzuki Beans with Butter)
🫘Somali Cuisine
Cambuulo (Somali Adzuki Beans with Butter)
Cambuulo is a beloved Somali comfort food made from slow-cooked adzuki beans sweetened with sugar, finished with generous amounts of butter. Simple, hearty and deeply satisfying, it is traditionally eaten for dinner or as a late-night snack.
10m
Prep
120m
Cook
130m
Total
4
Servings
390
Cal/Serving
Easy
★★★★★4.8 · 124 reviews
🛒 Ingredients
Serves 4
400g dried adzuki beans (or black-eyed peas)
1.5 litres water
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
Extra butter to serve
✨ Chef's Tips
The longer you cook the beans, the creamier and thicker the cambuulo becomes — patience is the secret.
Some families add a pinch of cinnamon or cardamom for extra warmth.
Cambuulo is traditionally eaten communally from one large bowl — a sharing dish.
Leftovers reheat beautifully — just add a splash of water when warming on the stove.
📋 Method
1Soak the beans: Rinse adzuki beans well. Soak in cold water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse again.
2Slow cook: Place soaked beans in a large pot. Cover with 1.5 litres of fresh water. Bring to a boil, skim any foam from the surface, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 90–120 minutes until beans are completely soft and beginning to break down.
3Season: Once beans are very soft, add salt and sugar. Stir well. Taste and adjust sweetness — Cambuulo should be pleasantly sweet.
4Add butter: Add the butter and stir through until melted and fully incorporated. The beans should have a thick, creamy, almost porridge-like consistency. If too thick, add a splash of hot water.
5Serve: Spoon into bowls and top each portion with an extra knob of butter. Serve hot.