Stuffed fish and tomato rice

Directions

1. Add 2l water to a large pot and season with salt.

2. Bring to a boil then add the carrots, aubergines, wild aubergines, cassava, cauliflower and okra.

3. Cook for 20 minutes, or until tender then drain and reserve the vegetables and their cooking stock.

4. In the meantime prepare the fish stuffing (this is called ‘röf’).

5. Take 1 onion, peel and quarter.

6. Add to a mortar with the garlic, parsley, 1 chili, 3  cubes and black pepper.

7. Pound to a smooth paste then season the fish fillets with coarse salt and use half the röf paste to stuff them.

8. Heat a deep fryer to 180°C and use this to fry the stuffed fish steaks until cooked through and nicely browned on the outside.

9. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper to drain.

10. Chop the remaining onion. Heat oil in a large, non-stick pot then add the chopped onion.

11. Fry for about 6 minutes, or until browned then season to taste with coarse sea salt and stir in a handful of the remaining röf paste, followed by the tomato purée.

12. Crumble in the remaining cube then cook for 5 minutes.

13. Whilst the tomato sauce is cooking, wash the rice well, drain then place in a steamer basket and steam over a pan of boiling water for about 30 minutes, or until tender.

14. Once the tomato sauce has cooked, stir in the reserved vegetable stock then carefully add the pieces of fried fish along with the yett and the smoked fish (wash and flake the smoked fish first).

15. Finally add the cooked vegetables to the pot.

16. Half, cover with a lid, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 30 minutes more.

17. At this point, remove the vegetables and set aside to keep warm.

18. Cook for 5 minutes more then remove the fish and set this aside as well.

19. Adjust the seasonings to taste then remove some of the stock and pour over the vegetables.

20. Stir the cooked rice into the sauce. Cover the top of the pot with a sheet of kitchen foil and sit the lid on top.

21. Cook gently over low heat for 30 minutes more. The rice mixture is done when the liquid has been completely absorbed.

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