Thiebou kéthiakh (Rice with Dried Fish and Tamarind)
Thiebou kéthiakh (Rice with Dried Fish and Tamarind) is a traditional Senegalese recipe for a one-pot dish of rice with smoked and dried fish and mixed vegetables that's spiced and served with a tamarind sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Senegalese version of: Rice with Dried Fish and Tamarind (Thiebou kéthiakh).
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Also known as tiep bou kethiahe and pronounced 'ceebu kecax', this is a Senegalese dish of rice in a smoked fish, bean and vegetable sauce that's typically served accompanied with a tamarind paste. This dish contains yët, salted, fermented and dried sea snails, a Senegalese delicacy.
Ingredients:
250ml of oil
250g of kethiakh (smoked and dried fish), washed, broken into pieces and with bones removed
1 piece of yët, cleaned by scraping the top with a knife
2 onions, chopped
200g of tomato purée
150g of cowpeas
1 slice of pumpkin
1/2 cabbage
1 carrot
1 small cassava tuber, peeled and cut into pieces (remove the woody core)
2 fresh habanero chilli, whole
1 fresh tomato, puréed in a blender
2 garlic cloves
2 stock cubes
salt
black pepper
chilli powder
750g rice
30g tamarind paste
Method:
Wash the cowpeas, place in a bowl, cover with water and soak for at least 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a pan. Once hot add the smoked and dried fish along with the yët. Fry for 3 minute then add 1 chopped onion and 1 finely-minced garlic clove. Stir and fry for 2 minutes.
Put the tomato paste in a bowl. Add 100ml (2/5 cup) warm water, stirring to combine. Once the mixture is smooth add to the pot. Stir well to combine, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
At this point add 1.5l (6 cups) water along with the drained beans. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, a crushed stock cubed and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Now stir in the blended fresh tomato. Stir well to combine.
Now add the pumpkin, 1 whole chilli, cabbage, cassava and carrot. Cover and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat then remove any vegetables that are tender and set aside.
Combine the remaining garlic and onion in a blender with the chilli and render to a paste. Add a pinch of black pepper and the remaining stock cube and blend again. Stir into your pot and continue cooking for 20 minutes more.
In the meantime, steam the rice to part cook.
Remove all the vegetables to a bowl, add a ladleful of the stock and set aside.
Add another ladleful of the stock to a second bowl and mix in the tamarind paste.
Add the steamed rice to the stock. Stir well to combine, then cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
To serve, arrange the rice mixture on a plate. Top with the vegetables and a little of the reserved sauce. Serve accompanied by the tamarind-flavoured sauce.
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