Thieboudienne
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Senegal's national dish — a one-pot masterpiece of broken rice cooked in a rich tomato sauce with a whole stuffed fish (usually thiof grouper), cassava, eggplant, cabbage, and bitter tomato. The rice absorbs the complex flavors of the broth, developing a prized crust at the bottom of the pot called xonn. Every cook's version is different, but the communal eating from a shared platter is universal.
Ingredients
- 1000 gwhite fish (grouper or snapper)
- 500 gbroken jasmine rice
- 150 gtomato paste
- 50 gguédj (dried fermented fish)
- 1 largecassava (peeled/chunked)
- 1 mediumeggplant
- 2 largecarrots
- 1 pepperhabanero pepper
- 1 cupparsley & garlic (for stuffing)
Directions
- 1
Make a 'rof' (herb paste) by pounding parsley, garlic, and chili; poke holes in the fish and stuff it with this paste.
- 2
Sear the fish in oil until golden, then remove and set aside.
- 3
Fry onions and tomato paste in the same oil until the oil separates; add the fermented fish (guédj) for deep umami.
- 4
Add water, cassava, eggplant, and carrots; simmer until vegetables are tender, then remove them and set aside.
- 5
Wash the broken rice and steam it over the bubbling broth for 15 minutes.
- 6
Add the pre-steamed rice into the broth, ensuring the liquid level is just right to absorb without burning.
- 7
Arrange the fish and vegetables back on top of the rice for the final 10 minutes of steaming. Serve on a large communal platter.