Gambia | Main dish

Benachin

Name: Benachin
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Gambia, West Africa
Ingredients: 3 cups rice, washed; 500 g whole fish or fish steaks, cleaned; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, halved; 1 medium cassava, peeled, quartered; 2 large onions, chopped

Gambia's one-pot rice dish â€” rice cooked in a rich tomato and vegetable sauce with fish or meat. Benachin means "one pot" in Wolof.

Country

Gambia

Region

West Africa

Time

90 min

Serves

Level

medium

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Recipe overview

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Benachin is the Gambian cousin of Senegalese thieboudienne. The name means "one pot" in Wolof, and the dish is a celebration of communal cooking where everything comes together in a single vessel.

What the dish tastes like

Gambia's one-pot rice dish â€” rice cooked in a rich tomato and vegetable sauce with fish or meat. Benachin means "one pot" in Wolof.

When to cook it

Best for Family meals, with a medium cooking level and about 90 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Lime wedges and tapalapa bread

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One-Pot Wonders is the main AfroKitchen collection route tied to this dish right now. One-Pot Wonders

Servings: 6

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How to cook it

Step-by-step instructions

Back to Gambia

Fry the fish

Season fish and fry until browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.

Fry fish 10:00

Build the sauce

Fry onions until golden. Add tomato paste and cook 5 minutes. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil.

Cook sauce 10:00

Cook vegetables

Add sweet potato and cassava. Simmer 15 minutes until partly tender. Remove vegetables.

Cook vegetables 15:00

Cook the rice

Add washed rice to the sauce. Arrange vegetables and fish on top. Cover tightly and cook on low 25-30 minutes.

Do not stir â€” let the rice absorb the sauce undisturbed.

Cook rice 30:00

Serve

Serve on a large platter with rice, fish, and vegetables arranged together.

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Benachin

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Step-by-step instructions

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