A one-pot dish of rice cooked in a rich tomato sauce with whole fish, cabbage, eggplant, and cassava, reflecting Niger River fishing traditions.
Ingredients
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3 cups broken rice
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1 whole tilapia or capitaine, cleaned
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3 tbsp tomato paste
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2 tomatoes, chopped
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1 onion, chopped
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1 small cabbage, quartered
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1 eggplant, cubed
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1 cassava piece, peeled and cubed
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2 tbsp vegetable oil
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1 Maggi cube
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1 tsp ground black pepper
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Salt to taste
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4 cups water
Instructions
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1
Season fish with salt and pepper. Fry in oil until golden on both sides. Remove and set aside.
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2
In the same oil, saute onions, add tomato paste and chopped tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes.
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3
Add water, Maggi cube, and bring to a boil. Add cabbage, eggplant, and cassava.
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4
Cook vegetables for 15 minutes until just tender. Remove vegetables and fish, keep warm.
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5
Add washed rice to the sauce. Stir once, cover, and cook on low heat for 25 minutes.
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6
Arrange rice on a platter, top with vegetables and fish. Serve communally.
Did You Know?
Thieboudienne was originally a Senegalese dish but traveled up the Niger River with fishermen and traders, becoming a celebration dish in river towns.